HC Deb 21 January 1998 vol 304 cc583-4W
Mr. Caplin

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many licences issued under the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925 have been cancelled in the last 10 years; [24065]

(2) what legal obligation there is on local authorities to hold copies of licences issued under the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925; and what procedure is available for a holder of a licence to cancel a licence when it is no longer needed; [24063]

(3) how many animals were listed in total on the licences issued under the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925 in each of the last 10 years. [24064]

Mr. George Howarth

Regulation of the use of animals under the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925 is undertaken by a system of registration, and not by a system of licensing. A person training or exhibiting animals must register with the relevant local authority.

Section 1(2) of the 1925 Act provides that every local authority should keep a register of persons who exhibit or train animals.

Under section 4(2) of the 1925 Act, where a person is convicted of an offence under the Act, or the Protection of Animals Act 1911, the court can order the name of the person to be removed from the register. Information on the number of such removals is not held centrally.

The number of animals listed in the registration documents held by the Home Office, in each of the last 10 years, is as follows:

  • 1988: 1,416
  • 1989: 1,355
  • 1990: 1,090
  • 1991: 613

Number of offenders convicted for offences associated with counterfeit offences by type of offence, 1986 to 1996
England and Wales
Legislation 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996
Indictable offences
Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 which revoked (as from 1 August 1989) the Copyright Act 1956 20 22 37 77 47 100
Trade Descriptions Act 1988 1,133 1,171 1,082 1,226 1,247 852
Trade Marks Act 1994 which repealed (as from 1 October 1994) the Trade Marks Act 1938 24 82 334
Summary offences
Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 which revoked (as from 1 August 1989) the Copyright Act 1956 56 57 n/a n/a n/a 35
Trade Descriptions Act 1988 6 5 4 12 10 9
Trade Marks Act 1994 which repealed (as from 1 October 1994) the Trade Marks Act 1938 n/a n/a n/a 8
n/a = Not available.

  • 1992: 2,040
  • 1993: 2,857
  • 1994: 143
  • 1995: 611
  • 1996: 151
  • 1997: 545.