To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the welfare of animals is safeguarded when they are abandoned as a result of their owners being incapacitated. (177125)

If someone abandoned an animal without taking all reasonable steps to ensure its welfare needs are met, they would be committing an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of animals abandoned each year; (179422)

The Government introduced the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which came into force in England on 6 April 2007 (and in Wales on 27 March). The Act introduces an offence of failing to provide for the welfare needs of an animal; that is, a ‘duty of care’ which will allow action to be taken before an animal suffers.

The duty of care means that all animal owners are required to promote animal welfare and potential owners must therefore know the welfare requirements of an animal before they acquire one. Those who abandon an animal without taking all reasonable steps to ensure its welfare needs are met, will be committing an offence under the Act.

We have no estimates concerning the number of animals abandoned after the Christmas period but we are grateful to the Dogs Trust, the Royal Society for the Prevention on Cruelty to Animals and other welfare organisations for the work that they do every year to raise public awareness of this problem.