Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions under the Hunting Act 2004 there have been in each of the last five years and whether he has considered changes to evidential thresholds for offences under the Hunting Act 2004.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions and convictions for a wide variety of offences in the Outcomes by Offences data tool including offences under the Hunting Act 2004. Data related to the years 2021 – 2025 can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

In response to the second part of your question, this is a policy matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police. This is in line with their duties to keep the peace, protect communities and prevent the commission of offences, working within the provisions of the legal framework set by Parliament. It is for individual Chief Constables to determine how their resources are deployed, and it is for locally elected PCCs to hold their forces to account. This includes consideration of how the police tackle the crimes that matter most to residents and businesses in rural and urban areas alike. The investigation and prosecution of all criminal offences, including consideration of whether an actual offence has been committed, is a matter for the police and Crown Prosecution Service who have comprehensive powers to take action under criminal law.