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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implementation of the European Union's Zoos Directive 1999 in the United Kingdom through the zoo inspection system.

The Zoo Licensing Act 1981, which sets out comprehensive licensing and inspection requirements for zoos, implements the EC Zoos Directive in Great Britain. Responsibility for administering these requirements rests with local authorities, which have powers to check compliance with zoo licences, to impose conditions and to take action. Ultimately this could mean closing part, or all, of a zoo if the requirements of the legislation are not met. This in turn ensures our compliance with the Directive.

In response to concerns about how local authorities were carrying out this role, Defra commissioned research into local authority implementation of the Act. The 2011 report, which looked at the period 2008-2010, found no serious problems and indeed there was evidence of significant improvements in a number of areas during this time.

The report made suggestions for further improvements, such as updating guidance and zoo inspection report forms. These, together with the majority of the suggestions, have been actioned and we continue to work to make further improvements.