Written question asked by Tulip Siddiq (Labour) on Tuesday, 26 April 2016, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 4 May 2016 (named day). It was answered by Dominic Raab (Conservative) on Wednesday, 4 May 2016 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Taxis: Assistance Animals

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Sentencing Council on the offence of refusing carriage to an assistance dog.

Answer: It is an offence under section 168 of the Equalities Act 2010 to refuse to take an assistance dog in a taxi or private hire vehicle. The maximum penalty is up to £1,000. Sentencing is a matter for the independent courts. There is no evidence that courts are finding their sentencing powers insufficient. The Sentencing Council considers the case for guidelines on the basis of a number of factors, including where data suggests there may be inconsistency in sentencing.

Secondary information