§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether animal welfare agencies and charities have access to lists of(a) convicted animal rights abusers and (b) those banned from animal ownership. [155680]
§ Mr. BradshawAnimal welfare organisations do not have direct access to details of those people who have been convicted of animal cruelty or those disqualified from keeping animals.
However, the department is considering, as part of the proposed Animal Welfare Bill, the introduction of an Animal Welfare Enforcement Database which would assist in the enforcement of animal welfare legislation in England and Wales. It is proposed that the database would include details of those people who have been convicted and disqualified from keeping animals. No decisions have been taken as to whether or not those welfare organisations who currently undertake enforcement work would be able to obtain full access to the database.