Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many dogs have been euthanised by (a) his Department and (b) agencies and public bodies of his Department since June 2020.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Collation and verification of Military Working Animal End of Service data, including information on deaths and euthanasia, is undertaken annually. For the 2020 calendar year 19 dogs were euthanised on veterinary grounds and five dogs were euthanised for safety reasons. All were carried out by qualified veterinary surgeons.
Our working animals provide an invaluable service to our troops, and every effort is made to rehome them at the end of their service life. Decisions are taken by the Military Working Animal rehoming board following an extensive assessment of the animals and any potential new home. Sadly, there are some occasions where it is not possible to rehome an animal safely. Service animals are only euthanised for one of two reasons; either because the animal poses an unacceptable risk to public safety or due to a veterinary condition causing unnecessary suffering.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many horses have been euthanised by (a) his Department and (b) agencies and public bodies of his Department since June 2020.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Collation and verification of Military Working Animal End of Service data, including information on deaths and euthanasia, is undertaken annually. For the 2020 calendar year six horses were euthanised on veterinary grounds. All were carried out by qualified veterinary surgeons.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing compulsory scanning of pets' microchips by vets.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
We consulted on compulsory scanning of microchips in the recent consultation on Cat and Dog Microchipping and Scanning in England. We are currently analysing the responses and we will respond to the consultation in the autumn.
We have worked closely with the veterinary profession and jointly agreed that the principle of scanning healthy dogs prior to euthanasia should be incorporated in the guidance that underpins the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons. This guidance is now in force and applies to all veterinary surgeons operating in the UK.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals on assisted dying to include exemptions for people with terminal illnesses.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It remains the Government’s view that any change to the law on assisted dying is an issue of individual conscience and a matter for Parliament to decide rather than one for Government policy.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of sections (a) 2(1) and (b) 2(A) of the Suicide Act 1961 between 1 April 2009 and 31 July 2020.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Government has not made, and has no plans to make, an assessment of the effectiveness of provisions in the Suicide Act 1961.
The Government’s view remains that if there is a requirement for any change to the law in this area it must be for individual Parliamentarians to consider as an issue of conscience, rather than a decision for Government.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many of the 167 cases referred to the Crown Prosecution Service by police under sections (a) 2(1) and (b) 2(A) of the Suicide Act 1961 between 1 April 2009 and 31 July 2020 related to a person with a terminal illness.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
CPS Policy on assisted suicide provides guidance to prosecutors on assessing the evidential and public interest stages in the Code for Crown Prosecutors when reaching decisions in cases of encouraging or assisting suicide.
The Policy promotes consistency of decision making and is very clear about the factors which are to be considered both for and against prosecution. It sets out clear guidance about the importance of establishing whether the decision of the person who wants to commit suicide is voluntary, clear, settled, and informed, and whether the decision has been made without any pressure from the suspect.
The CPS publishes information collated from manual records on cases relating to Assisted Suicide. From 1 April 2009 up to 31 January 2021, there have been 167 cases referred to the CPS by the police that have been recorded as assisted suicide. Of these 167 cases:
eight cases were referred onwards for prosecution for homicide or other serious crime.
Of the 110 cases not proceeded with by the CPS, manual records indicate:
A further six cases are recorded with more than one suspect in the same case; these resulted in a mixed outcome where the evidential stage was not met for some suspects and the public interest test was not met for the others.
CPS manual records do not capture specific case circumstances, including those relating to persons with a terminal illness.
The CPS collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. The CPS does not collect data that constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many of the 167 cases referred to the CPS by police under the Suicide Act 1961, Sections 2(1) and 2(A), between 1 April 2009 and 31 July 2020 did not result in a charge; and how many of those cases failed to pass the (a) evidential and (b) public interest stage.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
CPS Policy on assisted suicide provides guidance to prosecutors on assessing the evidential and public interest stages in the Code for Crown Prosecutors when reaching decisions in cases of encouraging or assisting suicide.
The Policy promotes consistency of decision making and is very clear about the factors which are to be considered both for and against prosecution. It sets out clear guidance about the importance of establishing whether the decision of the person who wants to commit suicide is voluntary, clear, settled, and informed, and whether the decision has been made without any pressure from the suspect.
The CPS publishes information collated from manual records on cases relating to Assisted Suicide. From 1 April 2009 up to 31 January 2021, there have been 167 cases referred to the CPS by the police that have been recorded as assisted suicide. Of these 167 cases:
eight cases were referred onwards for prosecution for homicide or other serious crime.
Of the 110 cases not proceeded with by the CPS, manual records indicate:
A further six cases are recorded with more than one suspect in the same case; these resulted in a mixed outcome where the evidential stage was not met for some suspects and the public interest test was not met for the others.
CPS manual records do not capture specific case circumstances, including those relating to persons with a terminal illness.
The CPS collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. The CPS does not collect data that constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Policy for Prosecutors in Respect of Cases of Encouraging and Assisting Suicide between 1 April 2009 and 1 April 2021.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
CPS Policy on assisted suicide provides guidance to prosecutors on assessing the evidential and public interest stages in the Code for Crown Prosecutors when reaching decisions in cases of encouraging or assisting suicide.
The Policy promotes consistency of decision making and is very clear about the factors which are to be considered both for and against prosecution. It sets out clear guidance about the importance of establishing whether the decision of the person who wants to commit suicide is voluntary, clear, settled, and informed, and whether the decision has been made without any pressure from the suspect.
The CPS publishes information collated from manual records on cases relating to Assisted Suicide. From 1 April 2009 up to 31 January 2021, there have been 167 cases referred to the CPS by the police that have been recorded as assisted suicide. Of these 167 cases:
eight cases were referred onwards for prosecution for homicide or other serious crime.
Of the 110 cases not proceeded with by the CPS, manual records indicate:
A further six cases are recorded with more than one suspect in the same case; these resulted in a mixed outcome where the evidential stage was not met for some suspects and the public interest test was not met for the others.
CPS manual records do not capture specific case circumstances, including those relating to persons with a terminal illness.
The CPS collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. The CPS does not collect data that constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Zoo Animals fund is being effectively used to safeguard the future of British Zoos.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Zoo Animals Fund was introduced to provide for zoos who, due to a coronavirus-related drop in income are experiencing severe financial difficulties and need support in caring for their animals. If zoos are downsizing or rehoming their collection the fund can also provide support for this to ensure the animals’ welfare. We have taken many steps to make the Zoo Animals Fund accessible to those who need it including expanding the range of eligible costs so zoos could claim for costs relating to pre-planned essential maintenance and repair works as well as animal care costs, replacing the 6 week criteria and allowing applicants to apply at any time before reaching their final 12 weeks of reserves to help with their business planning and extending the fund several times. We recently extended the application deadline from 26 February 2021 to 28 May 2021 to give zoos more time to apply and have extended the support provided from the end of March 2021 to the end of June 2021.
The Zoo Animals Fund has supported a wide variety of zoos throughout the pandemic, from some of the smallest to some of the biggest – and it continues to do so. It has helped ensure the continued welfare of zoo animals and prevent unnecessary euthanasia. Only two applications have been rejected on the basis that the businesses in question were ineligible as they did not have the necessary licence or exemption. Fund recipients have reached out to express how funding has supported their animals and what a difference it has made to them to receive this help. From 12 April zoos have been able to welcome back visitors, reopening their outdoor areas as part of step two in the roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions. Allowing zoos to re-open has been an integral step towards enabling them to initiate a financial recovery. We encourage zoos in need of support in caring for their animals to apply to the Zoo Animals Fund and we will continue to work closely with the sector on reopening guidance to ensure that zoos and aquariums are able to welcome visitors safely.
Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the study 'Does Euthanasia Have a Dampening Effect on Suicide Rates? Recent Experiences from the Netherlands', published in the Journal of Ethics in Mental Health on 28 December 2017, and (2) the relationship between the legalisation of assisted suicide and suicide rates in the general population; and what plans they have to address any such relationship as part of their Cross-Government Suicide Prevention Work plan, published in January 2019.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government has made no formal assessment of these studies, nor of the relationship between the legislation of assisted suicide and the rate of suicide in the general population.