Baroness Berridge

The Animal Sentience Committee was established by the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 to furnish accountability to Parliament for the consideration of the welfare of sentient animals in Ministerial decisions. The Committee decide which policy decisions to select for the purpose of producing a report. There is no power in statute for the Government to direct the work of the Committee.

There are currently no distinct statutory provisions relating specifically to the ownership or treatment of pets for the purposes of financial proceedings on divorce.

Guidelines for sentencing for manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility are publicly available and published here: Manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility – Sentencing.

The guideline on sentencing offenders with mental disorders, developmental disorders, or neurological impairments outlines the criteria for sentencing someone to a hospital order under s.37 or hospital and limitation direction under s45A of the Mental Health Act 1983. These guidelines are also publicly accessible.

All guidelines are subject to wide public consultation, generally over a 12-week period. The Sentencing Council monitors and evaluates all definitive guidelines, as per its statutory duty to do so. The assessment covers the operation and effect of the guideline.

In order to be detained under these sections, the offender must be suffering from a mental disorder of a nature or degree which makes it appropriate for the offender to be detained in a hospital for medical treatment, and appropriate treatment is available.

The Government is committed to establishing a judge-led inquiry into the issues raised by the attacks in Nottingham. Work is underway to establish the Inquiry and its Terms of Reference, and Ministers will update Parliament on it in due course.

The Government announced, on 6 December 2024, that it had invited the Law Commission to undertake a review of the law of homicide, including the full and partial defences to homicide, and the sentencing framework for murder. The Law Commission expects to begin work on this review later this year.