§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people in Pendle have benefited from the pet travel scheme since its inception; and if he will make a statement. [149921]
§ Ms QuinUp to end of December 2000, the owners of 14,500 cats and dogs had used the Pet Travel Scheme to bring their pets into England. Unfortunately, data are not collected on numbers of people using the scheme from specific areas of the UK.
§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to complete a review of the inclusion of the USA and Canada in the reformed quarantine regulations for pets. [149999]
§ Ms QuinThe Pet Travel Scheme was extended to include pet cats and dogs from certain rabies-free islands, including Hawaii, on 31 January 2001.
A risk assessment following the Kennedy Committee Report indicated that cats and dogs from North America could be included within the Pet Travel Scheme only with a further increase in risk. Any increase, even a small one, is obviously undesirable. We are however committed to reviewing the possibility of the inclusion of the USA and Canada in the Pet Travel Scheme on the basis of new data received.