Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to introduce legislative proposals to make it mandatory for drivers to report collisions with cats.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

There are no plans to amend section 170 of the Road Traffic Act to make it mandatory for drivers to report road collisions involving cats.

Although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should, if possible, make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation.

Since June 2024, all cats in England over 20 weeks of age must be microchipped and registered on a compliant database, unless exempt or free-living. This will make it easier for National Highways and local authorities to reunite cats and dogs with their keeper.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the participation of SMEs in the NHS supply chain; and whether he plans to introduce measures to reduce barriers to entry for SMEs in NHS procurement processes.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) have a vital role to play in supporting our health service to deliver on its priorities for patients and staff.

NHS England is committed to improving its engagement with SME suppliers and helping to make it easier for them to do business with the National Health Service. To help ensure SMEs have a voice within the NHS, NHS England has established an SME Advisory Group, which has worked with NHS England to improve the opportunities for SMEs to engage with and compete for NHS business.

In February 2024, NHS England published an SME action plan that outlines how the NHS will better engage, communicate with and learn from the SME community, improve visibility of NHS opportunities and encourage SME participation in commercial activity. The plan is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/small-and-medium-enterprises-action-plan

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of mandatory microchipping for cats over 20 weeks on the proportion of pets reunited with their owners in the event of a road traffic accident.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

From 10 June 2024, all owned cats in England over 20 weeks of age must be microchipped and registered on a compliant database. The legislation is intended to improve pet welfare by increasing the likelihood of reuniting lost or stray pets with their keepers.

Defra has commissioned a research project to understand the operational challenges that currently prevent some cats from being reunited with their keepers after a road traffic accident. The project will provide an evidence base to inform best practice for local authorities and is due to report later this year.

Found: (Conservative, Maldon) (added 21 Oct 2024) 40 of 45 (88.9%) Former members Attendance Claire Hazelgrove