Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act 2019

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View the Parallel Parliament page for the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act 2019

Information between 2nd February 2024 - 29th October 2026

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Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act 2019 mentioned

Parliamentary Debates
Pet Abduction Bill 17 speeches (8,081 words) 2nd reading Friday 10th May 2024 - Lords Chamber Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Mentions: 1: Lord Holmes of Richmond (Con - Life peer) follows a legislative logic that we have had over a number of Bills, not least the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act - Link to Speech

Written Answers
Police: Animals Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East) Monday 14th September 2026 Question to the Ministry of Justice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of sentencing outcomes under the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act 2019 for violent attacks against police and emergency service animals. Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice) Sentencing decisions in individual cases are a matter for the independent judiciary, taking into account the circumstances of the offence and the offender, including any particular aggravating or mitigating factors. In July 2023, updated sentencing guidelines for animal cruelty offences came into effect, taking into account the increased maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment introduced in 2021. Sentencing guidelines are developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, which also monitors and evaluates all definitive guidelines, as per its statutory duty to do so.  We have no current plans to request that the Council review guidelines in this area.

Written Answers

Police: Animals
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Monday 14th September 2026

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of sentencing outcomes under the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act 2019 for violent attacks against police and emergency service animals.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Sentencing decisions in individual cases are a matter for the independent judiciary, taking into account the circumstances of the offence and the offender, including any particular aggravating or mitigating factors.

In July 2023, updated sentencing guidelines for animal cruelty offences came into effect, taking into account the increased maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment introduced in 2021. Sentencing guidelines are developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, which also monitors and evaluates all definitive guidelines, as per its statutory duty to do so.  We have no current plans to request that the Council review guidelines in this area.