Pets (Microchips) Bill Presented:

 James Daly Conservative MP for Bury North presented his Private Members Bill to Parliament on 12th July and writes: 

I presented my Pets (Microchips) Bill to the House. This begins the process of moving towards it becoming law. This is a Bill that is very close to my heart as an animal lover and it brings together the campaigns of Tuk's Law and Gizmo's Law.

Tuks Law and Gizmo's Law are both campaigns that aim to help pets and their owners - potentially saving animals from unnecessary euthanasia and reconnecting cat owners with their pets if they are found deceased by local authorities.

Gizmo's Law

Gizmo's Legacy is a campaign that was set up, right here in Bury North, to ensure that Local Authorities are compelled to scan the microchips of deceased cats that are found on a road or a pavement or that are otherwise reported to the LA. This could be following a road traffic accident or just a cat that has been found. This campaign is so important because our pets are an extension of our family and may families across the UK find their cats have gone missing, many who have been involved in an accident and, unlike dogs, there is no requirement for these to be reported to the LA - nor is there a requirement for Local Authorities to scan a microchip to identify the owner.

My Private Members' Bill will ensure that Local Authorities do scan cats and search the database associated with the microchip to find ownership details to try and reunify the owners with their pet.

Tuk's Law

Tuk was a 16-month-old rescue who was euthanised on 22 December 2017. He was not scanned prior to euthanasia and his Rescue Back Ups were not contacted/notified of his death. Tuk was euthanised whilst having full rescue back up, dually registered contact details on his microchip and was presented by an individual who was not his registered keeper.

It is unconscionable that anyone could take any animal to a vet and ask that they be put down, without the vet checking to see whether the person presenting the animal is the owner, nor contacting the registered keeper of Rescue Back Up to advise them of this. Tuk's Law asked that vets are compelled to scan microchips and contact the registered keeper and rescue backups when a healthy and treatable animal is presented to them for euthanasia.

My Private Members' Bill will ensure that Vets scan microchips and make contact with registered keepers and Rescue Back Ups of healthy and treatable animals presented to them for euthanasia. It will also require Government-endorsed pet microchip databases regarding pets in England to indicate when a pet has both a registered owner and a back-up rescuer.

BSL UK Gov Petition Update

MPs on the Commons Petitions Committee have expressed disappointment about the Government's response, and called for the Government to reconsider its decision not to review breed specific legislation.

Link to the full response here 

In June MPs on the Petitions Committee wrote to Jo Churchill MP, a then Minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, expressing concern about the impact of breed-specific legislation – which bans the ownership of certain dog breeds – and the cost these provisions in the law had for some dogs.

The MPs put a number of questions to the department – including asking the Government if they’ll gather new evidence to help decide if reform is needed on the legislation, and how the Government will ensure welfare needs of all dogs held in kennels under the Dangerous Dogs Act are met.
The Committee also sought confirmation from the Government about what they were doing to protect dogs seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act who are subsequently found by a court to pose no danger to the public. The Committee asked if the Government would consider allowing the rehoming of such dogs by responsible organisations, and the removal of strict conditions that apply to all dogs of a banned breed that are allowed to return home.

Christina Rees MP, the member of the Petitions Committee who opened the most recent debate on breed specific legislation, said:
"Under current laws some breeds of dog can be kept in kennels for months pending lengthy court hearings, and often can’t be rehomed even when they pose no danger to the public. Hundreds of dogs are needlessly destroyed every year because of this cruel legislation.
"Public safety is paramount, but the law must be proportionate and not contribute to the unnecessary suffering of innocent animals.
"While I welcome the Government’s work with police forces to increase uptake of the interim exemption scheme - which allows dogs to be temporarily released and returned to their owners pending court hearings - much more needs to be done to protect the welfare of these dogs.
"I know petitioners and campaigners alike who have called for reform of breed specific legislation will be as disappointed as I am by the Government’s latest ‘copy and paste’ response on this issue."

Catherine McKinnell MP, Chair of the Petitions Committee, said:
"It is hugely disappointing that the Government appears to be completely unwilling to review breed specific provisions in the Dangerous Dogs Act.
"Since 2020, petitions calling for a change in the law to protect these innocent animals have received more than 350,000 signatures, and yet the Government has refused time and again to review legislation on banned breeds, or even gather new evidence on the risks of banned breeds and effectiveness of breed specific legislation.
"It is particularly disappointing the Minister has refused to even meet the person who started the most recent petition on this subject. The Government must recognise the significant public concern about these laws, and reconsider its decision not to review this."