Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect cats and kittens from exploitation by regulating cat breeding.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare Strategy was published on 22 December 2025 and sets out thepriorities for animal welfare for England. It is a comprehensive set of reforms which will improve the lives of millions of animals.
As set out in the strategy, the Government’s priority is to improve compliance with the existing rules and to work collaboratively with stakeholders to further our understanding of the cat breeding sector and help to drive up standards. This will inform whether any further action is needed in the future to improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.
Anyone in the business of selling cats and kittens as pets should already have a pet selling licence and must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse, vary or revoke licences.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will introduce cat breeding regulations which ban the breeding of cats with extreme characteristics which could have a detrimental effect on (a) their (i) health and (ii) welfare and (b) that of their offspring.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare Strategy was published on 22 December 2025 and sets out thepriorities for animal welfare for England. It is a comprehensive set of reforms which will improve the lives of millions of animals.
As set out in the strategy, the Government’s priority is to improve compliance with the existing rules and to work collaboratively with stakeholders to further our understanding of the cat breeding sector and help to drive up standards. This will inform whether any further action is needed in the future to improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.
Anyone in the business of selling cats and kittens as pets should already have a pet selling licence and must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse, vary or revoke licences.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what preparations her Department has made for a School Sports Strategy; and what recent steps she as taken towards the new approach announced in June 2025.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced on 19 June 2025 that the government will establish a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network to ensure all children and young people have access to high-quality PE and extracurricular sport, helping young people develop an interest in sport that continues beyond the school environment.
To deliver this, the department is preparing to procure a national partner to lead the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network. This partner will work with government, Sport England and national governing bodies to make links across provision for children and young people to strengthen support to schools and increase access to opportunities. We expect to have the national partner in place by autumn 2026.
In parallel, we are modernising the PE curriculum. The Association for Physical Education is leading a group of expert drafters to develop a new curriculum that develops children’s physical capability and supports lifelong participation in sport and physical activity.