Extract from Justice Topical Questions (Commons) - Jan 14

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Chris Philp): I thank my hon. Friend for his tireless campaigning on animal welfare. I am, of course, delighted that Finn’s law reached the statute book last year, and increasing the maximum sentence for animal cruelty from six months to five years is a manifesto commitment which we intend to deliver as quickly as possible. It builds on the fact that—I am proud to say—this country has among the world’s best animal welfare provisions, including a tough ivory ban, CCTV in slaughterhouses and a ban on the commercial third-party sale of puppies and kittens.