Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill

Lord McNally Excerpts

2nd reading (Hansard): House of Lords
Friday 1st March 2019 Lords Chamber

[Lord McNally (LD)]

My Lords, it is an honour and a privilege to follow the noble Lord, Lord Holmes, who reminded us most eloquently of the case for the Bill. He is an ever-present reminder of what a well-trained dog can give in service. Of course, I pay tribute also to the noble Viscount, Lord Trenchard, for introducing the Bill and to Sir Oliver Heald for taking it as a 10-minute rule Bill through the Commons to the Floor of our Chamber.

I have only one experience of working closely with a police dog. It was many years ago, when I worked for the Labour Party and went to a conference in Blackpool with the then Prime Minister, Harold Wilson. The police dog assigned to us was a magnificent-looking animal. When out of sight or hearing of the Prime Minister, his handler would show us his party piece. He would say, “Harold Wilson”, and the dog would go, “Grrrrr!”—which showed just how well these dogs can be trained.

Of course, this debate has a link to Hertfordshire. I live in St Albans now. A distant relation of PC Wardell wrote to me, saying:

“I would like to hope that you will speak on our behalf as well as vote when the legislation to protect service animals from injury and death comes before the Lords. Finn, who you must know is an incredibly brave police dog, saved the life of a relative of mine. Dave is his handler and a member of my extended family and would have suffered the same attack had Finn not bravely reacted”.


We have heard his story today.

I declare another interest as a former chairman of the Youth Justice Board. One of the most worrying things about this story is that the assailant was 16 years old and carrying a 10-inch hunting knife. That puts into context the wider problem facing law enforcement officers as they deal with modern crime. The noble Viscount, Lord Trenchard, laid out clearly the weaknesses and lacunae in the Animal Welfare Act and the Criminal Damage Act. This Bill puts the animals who serve us in the right order of priorities, in terms of both our concern for their welfare and the role they play in law enforcement. Well-trained horses and dogs are a safer way of dealing with armed and dangerous criminals, as well as crowd control. They are much preferable to the use of stun guns, water cannon, rubber bullets or live ammunition.

These animals are much-loved comrades-in-arms for the police and prison officers who work with them. This Bill gives them their proper status and proportionate protection in respect of the services they provide. For the record, I hope that the Minister will clarify how the legislation will apply to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We know that progress is being made in Wales, but what is happening in Scotland and Northern Ireland?

I wish this Bill a speedy passage into law. And, since every speaker so far has been quite unashamed in using a well-known cliché, I will finish with one. Every dog has his day; today is Finn’s day.