Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons her Department has not yet introduced a Bill based on the draft Wild Animals in Circuses Bill.
We remain committed to banning the use of wild animals in circuses. Despite publishing a draft Bill and supporting the Honourable Member’s determined attempt to introduce that Bill, we have run out of time this Parliament. We have always said that introducing primary legislation can take time. That is why we introduced a strict licensing scheme to protect the welfare of wild animals still used in circuses in the interim.