To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were (a) charged, (b) convicted, (c) fined, (d) banned from keeping animals, (e) imprisoned and (f) otherwise punished for offences to cruelty to animals in each year since 1997, broken down by type of animal involved. (181498)

[holding answer 24 January 2008]: The individual circumstances of animal cruelty offences, including the type of animal involved, and data on charging, are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of cruelty to animals, broken down by type of animal. (181499)

[holding answer 24 January 2008]: There are a number of measures in place that provide protection to animals generally and are not species specific. For example, last year the Government introduced the Animal Welfare Act 2006, under which it is an offence to cause an animal, under the control of man, any unnecessary suffering. The Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 makes it an offence to intentionally inflict unnecessary suffering on wild mammals. In addition, the Government are committed to improving the welfare of animals such as through the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy and the Animal Welfare Delivery Strategy.