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Written question asked by Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour) on Thursday, 9 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 July 2026 (named day). It was answered by Anna Turley (Labour) on Thursday, 30 July 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Animal Welfare: Offenders

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of information on animal offenders recorded on the Police National Computer to relevant third parties; and what proportion of requests for information relating to animal offenders made by organisations involved in animal rehoming and welfare were (a) granted and (b) refused in each of the last 10 years.

Answer

Access to data in the Police National Computer is restricted to cleared authorised users in the Police Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies and authorisation of its use and data contained is managed via the Police; therefore, the Home Office does not hold this information, as data added loaded is the responsibilities of the Data Controllers.

The Government is committed to strong enforcement of animal welfare legislation and ensuring that those convicted of serious animal welfare offences can be subject to disqualification orders preventing them from owning or keeping animals. Animal welfare and rehoming organisations play an important role in protecting animal welfare and promoting responsible ownership. The Home Office is also working with key partners, including the RSPCA, to strengthen the recording and use of relevant animal abuse information on police systems where appropriate.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
17673
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Animal welfare Offenders Information sharing
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk