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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) non-compliant, and (2) non-DEFRA-approved, animal microchip databases are shut down.

Under the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015, the Defra Secretary of State has powers to ensure database operators meet the requirements under the regulations. The Secretary of State may also authorise in writing "an authorised person", such as a local authority or police constable, to act for the purpose of enforcing these regulations. Defra can therefore work with authorised persons and enforcement agencies, such as Trading Standards, to deal with non-compliant databases.

The Government is committed to improving the welfare of cats and is committed to introducing the compulsory microchipping of cats. Cat owners can ensure that they register with a compliant database by using any of the microchipping databases listed on GOV.UK.

Defra is also conducting a Post Implementation Review of The Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015 which will consider the operation of the microchip databases.