Animal Welfare: Prosecutions

To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions for offences of cruelty to animals were brought by (a) the Crown Prosecution Service and (b) the Royal Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the last five years. (296531)

The figures at Table 1 show the number of offences of cruelty to animals in respect of which a prosecution was brought by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in each of the last five years.

Also, at Table 2, are figures showing the number of defendants (not offences) prosecuted by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) over the same period. RSPCA prosecutions are broken down to show the number and the proportion resulting in conviction and in dismissal, but no comparable analysis is available for the figures recorded by the CPS.

*Table 1: Crown Prosecution Service—Offences of Cruelty to Animals in which a prosecution commenced*
	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Total animal cruelty offences charged¹	222	214	227	273	240
¹ Source: CPS Management Information System

*Table 2: Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals—Defendant prosecuted for Cruelty to Animals*
	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Convictions	870	95.8	980	96.7	898	95.7	1,104	97.2	1,222	97.6
Dismissals	38	4.2	33	3.3	40	4.3	32	2.8	30	2.4
Total defendants prosecuted¹	908	—	1,013	—	938	—	1,136	—	1,252	—
¹ Source: RSPCA

Volume 498: debated on Thursday 29 October 2009