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Written question asked by Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 15 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 1 September 2026. It was answered by Stephen Morgan (Labour) on Thursday, 3 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dogs: Animal Housing

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of guidance to local authorities on publishing the costs of mid term inspections for licensed dog home boarding businesses.

Answer

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (LAIA) (England) Regulations 2018 are accompanied by statutory guidance for local authorities which they must have regard to. This guidance sets out that inspections of premises must be carried out upon application or renewal of a licence. The frequency of inspections therefore depends on the duration of the licence, which is determined by its star rating.

The LAIA Regulations require that fees for licences, which includes inspections, are reasonable and proportionate. Local authorities are encouraged to use the Local Government Animal Welfare Group’s (LGAWG) non-statutory guidance on fee setting.

Additionally, local authorities are required to submit an annual data return to the Secretary of State which includes costs of licences. Previous data returns can be found here.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
19258
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Animal housing Costs Business Licensing Inspections Dogs Local government
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk