Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of a central register for those convicted of any animal abuse which would be (a) be accessible to the public and (b) allow for the reporting of such crimes.

The Police National Computer holds all relevant information for prosecutions made for animal cruelty offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and the police may be approached by anyone who has concerns about whether someone should be keeping animals. The Department currently has no plans to establish a publicly accessible central register for those convicted of animal cruelty offences.