Meeting of the Parliament 02 October 2025 [Draft]
It has been an interesting debate. It is good to see so much agreement around the chamber about how the bill is viewed. Richard Leonard said that it is about compassion and decency. I think that that is right: it is not only about the welfare of the animal but about the welfare of the owner. Others have referred to the pleasure and company that dogs give us. Jamie Halcro Johnston and Mark Ruskell said that dogs are members of the family—for those who own dogs, that is so true.
If it is to achieve anything, the bill will need to raise awareness of such crime. Members do not often have resources to do that, so it would be good if the Government were to explore how we could do so. I understand that it is setting up an advisory group, so perhaps that group could consider how we might raise such awareness.
Mark Ruskell said that the introduction of the UK legislation saw a fall in the number of thefts, but that it is difficult to say whether that was an effect of the legislation. We will need to have an eye to that, especially if we are to undertake post-legislative scrutiny.
Richard Leonard and Emma Harper talked about other aspects that we should consider in relation to animal welfare. Emma Harper introduced her own bill on sheep worrying, which became the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021. Richard Leonard talked about dog fighting and organised crime. There is agreement around the chamber that there is a need for more comprehensive legislation.
I join Richard Leonard and Elena Whitham in making a plea for similar provision for cats. I am owned by a cat—that is the difference between cats and dogs—and cats need protection as well, although I think that they would probably make their own way home if someone decided to take them.