New Clause 4 - UK animal welfare enforcement database
Animal Welfare Bill
2:45 pm
Bill Wiggin (Shadow Minister (Agriculture & Fisheries), Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Leominster, Conservative)
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
This is another mystery. The new clause would give the Secretary of State the power to establish a UK animal welfare enforcement database. I am sure that we can all see the logic of having various pieces of information stored centrally, and I note that paragraphs 42 to 45 of the Bill’s regulatory impact assessment suggest that there would be merit in establishing such a database. I am therefore disappointed that the Government have decided not to make provision in the Bill for a database.
Although I understand that clause 10 makes provision
“to facilitate or improve co-ordination in relation to the carrying out by different persons of functions relating to the welfare of animals”,
the possibility of a database being established is far too important to depend on that rather ambiguous phrasing. When we consider the human rights implications, particularly for the right to privacy, we see that the matter should be included in the Bill. Perhaps it is not included because the Secretary of State has signed the human rights statement; nevertheless, it should be.
I am also concerned that information could be mishandled or that non-governmental organisations could receive extra powers or some form of privileged access. That would, of course, fly in the face of all the assurances that the Government have given us about the Bill not empowering any NGO.