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Care Homes and Sheltered Accommodation (Domestic Pets) Bill

Does my hon. Friend accept that as people become elderly and perhaps live alone, a pet is a friend to them and can keep them company? If they have to go into a home either because of failing health or because there is no one to look after them, the fact that they lose the friend that has been with them as a companion for many years will be even more distressing. We therefore need a change in the law to ensure that that does not happen.