Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cats Cats as Companions, published 15 June; and what assessment they have made of the benefits to people's health and wellbeing of owning or interacting with pets, including cats.

I welcomed this report at the time of publication, and you can see my quote here: http://www.apgocats.co.uk/reports/. The report ‘Cats as Companions: Can Cats Help Tackle Loneliness?’ from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cats rightly outlines the complex nature of loneliness and the importance of tailoring interventions to an individual’s needs. The government welcomes the interest in the important issue of loneliness. It will continue to work to tackle loneliness and improve the evidence base on the causes and the best ways to reduce it.