Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’m really pleased that you tabled this topic, Bethan, for your short debate today. As you say, you did raise it with me in an oral question back in October and, just last week, I answered a written question that was submitted by Paul Davies, who is in the Chamber. I said to both of you that it wasn’t something that I’d ever considered, but, since that time, I have asked officials to look at it, and I’ll say a bit more about the sort of advice and discussions that we’re having.

Because I’d never thought about it previously from an animal health and welfare perspective, but, listening to Bethan talking about the levels of animal cruelty, really, it’s a salutary lesson. I think the way we treat our animals really says a lot about the sort of society we are. So, it’s very sad to hear those cases that you talked about at the beginning of your debate.

I absolutely also understand the comments that Bethan made about how animal abusers are often connected to other forms of abuse. Unfortunately, there are too many examples where abuse was carried out on an animal and then followed up with abuse on another family member or another individual. I actually had a case in my own advice surgery of a woman who would not leave the perpetrator of domestic abuse because of her dog. So, it’s absolutely something that we should be very aware of.

I’m also aware of the RSPCA’s action on its pet retreat and, equally, I’m aware of the wide concerns that I know have been expressed right across the UK on this issue, not just Wales, by a number of organisations. It is a very complex issue—you’re right, we do have the competence, and I will continue to give very serious consideration to the whole topic and in connection, particularly, with the responsible ownership of an animal. So, the Welsh Government commissioned a review on responsible dog ownership, and many of the outcomes are applicable across all animal ownership. I also think I need to consider this topic with my Cabinet colleagues, because the potential scope of these issues—whilst you might think they just initially fall into my portfolio, I think there are implications outside my portfolio.

Any such system, I think, should have a national approach for it to be effective and comprehensive, and it’s again something that I would like to discuss with ministerial colleagues from across the UK. There have been previous discussions in the UK Government public protection unit, which is responsible for the Disclosure and Barring Service, which was formerly the Criminal Records Bureau, about using existing systems, because I think we need to make sure that we use any existing databases now in a much more improved way, through better connectivity and information sharing. So, again, I’ve asked officials to pursue enquiries with the appropriate UK Government department now.

There are also questions that I think we would need to ask if we were developing such a policy: data protection, whether having such an identification process is a good idea; is it practicable and what would a register achieve by way of animal welfare that the current arrangements don’t achieve? You mentioned, Bethan, police forces and that it would be useful for them. I think local authorities also, and there are probably other aspects of the public sector.

In Wales, we believe that prevention is better than cure. That’s the reason why we place such emphasis on animal welfare and the importance of responsible ownership and the role of veterinary practitioners. I’m meeting with the British Veterinary Association next month, and I’m going to discuss this topic with them, and their comprehensive guidance for veterinary teams regarding ‘Recognising abuse in animals and humans’, which they published last January.

So, we’re going to continue to develop our thinking on the matters that have been raised by Bethan today. We’ll do that as we make progress on our work on responsible animal ownership also. We do expect the highest standards of animal welfare for all protected animals to be in place here in Wales. We’ve got a duty of care. That’s embedded in the Animal Welfare Act, which was commenced nearly 10 years ago. But I think that the topic that you’ve raised again today, Bethan, does need further serious consideration. I’d be very happy to work with you on it. Thank you very much.