Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Debate between Lord Blunkett and Baroness Hayman of Ullock

3rd reading
Friday 21st November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Blunkett (Lab)]

My Lords, before my noble friend from the Front Bench responds, I ought to say, in the spirit of this morning, that there is a four-legged member of this House here beside me who would like to thank everyone involved on behalf of his species.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Baroness Hayman of Ullock) (Lab)]

My Lords, I am very pleased to be able to speak at the Third Reading of this Private Member’s Bill. Ending puppy smuggling was a government manifesto commitment, and we have been really delighted to support this animal welfare Bill through both Houses of Parliament.

I thank the noble Lord, Lord Trees—I will call him my noble friend—for his excellent stewardship of the Bill through this House. I also thank Dr Danny Chambers MP for so carefully guiding the Bill through the other place and for working so constructively with us in government. My department will now take forward the crucial task of implementing the measures just set out by the noble Lord, Lord Trees, including the delivery of the relevant secondary legislation. In doing so, we will consider any appropriate exemptions and work closely with our enforcement bodies to ensure that they have the tools needed to uphold these rules effectively. Only yesterday, I went down to Dover to meet with our APHA colleagues who are on the front line and who work so hard to catch the pet smugglers. The Bill represents a pivotal step towards ending the illegal pet trade for good, and I am thrilled that this important piece of legislation is finally making its way on to the statute book.

Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill [HL]

Debate between Lord Blunkett and Baroness Hayman of Ullock

Friday 2nd December 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Blunkett (Lab)]

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness and all those who have campaigned to achieve this. My own city of Sheffield was the first to take up the 1956 Act. I hope we can make real progress once again on this critical issue.

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

My Lords, I too congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, on bringing the Bill forward and on her tenacity in keeping going with it and tabling some helpful amendments.

I welcome Rosamund once again. It is good to see her, and this should be progress in her name as well as her daughter’s.

I say to the Minister that I was pleased to hear, in our discussion of statutory instruments the other day, that the targets for air quality and air pollution will be seen at some point in the near future. I look forward to seeing them. I hope they will be ambitious because, as the noble Baroness said, the Conservative Party has brought in air-quality legislation before so it should not be coy about supporting this and doing everything it can to improve the pollution problems.