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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will commission the Animal Sentience Committee to conduct an assessment of the treatment of pets as chattels for the purposes of section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973.

The Animal Sentience Committee was established by the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 to furnish accountability to Parliament for the consideration of the welfare of sentient animals in Ministerial decisions. The Committee decide which policy decisions to select for the purpose of producing a report. There is no power in statute for the Government to direct the work of the Committee.

There are currently no distinct statutory provisions relating specifically to the ownership or treatment of pets for the purposes of financial proceedings on divorce.