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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to bring forward regulations to introduce the compulsory microchipping of owned cats.

Our intention is to introduce a new, single set of microchipping regulations by the end of the year, which will incorporate changes to the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations and add the new requirement for compulsory microchipping of cats.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.