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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled New offence to tackle dog theft moves step closer, published 18 November 2021, if she intends to bring the proposed legislation forward before the end of this Parliamentary Session; if she will make it her policy to include cats in the proposed pet abduction offence at the outset of the publication of the proposed legislation; what assessment she has made of the evidence of cat theft; and if she will make a statement.

We have listened carefully to the views expressed during the passage of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill that the new pet abduction offence should be extended to cats. We are currently considering this issue further.

The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill will continue its passage as soon as parliamentary time allows and will be announced in the normal way.