Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions have been made under Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act each year since 2015.

The Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions and convictions made under Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in England and Wales, up to December 2019 in the ‘Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code’ data tool, available here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938554/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2019.xlsx

Offences contrary to Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act include:

• Causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal
• Aiding and abetting the causing of unnecessary suffering to a protected animal
• Responsible person failing to prevent the causing of unnecessary suffering to an animal

These are collectively housed under the Home Office offence code 108/29. In the data tool above, enter ‘10829’ into the ‘Offence code’ filter in order to see prosecutions under this offence, in Row 31, each year since 2013.