5. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of pet theft on animal welfare in Wales? OQ56815

Thank you. The theft of pets is a criminal act. It is a reserved issue under the Theft Act 1968. DEFRA recently published the pet theft taskforce report and recommendations. My officials will continue to discuss the proposed UK Government's new criminal laws and how we can collaborate to tackle this serious issue, alongside issuing strong messaging on responsible ownership.

Diolch, Weinidog. I also want to raise the issue of pet theft with the Minister, alongside Natasha Asghar, and especially dog theft, because we did see that sharp rise in the demand for pups during the pandemic, which has been linked to the recent rise in dog thefts, as, sadly, dogs have increasingly become a profitable target for thieves. In my region of South Wales West, 59 dogs were rescued in an operation across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot in April this year. A number of these dogs were believed to have been stolen, and this was in addition to six stolen dogs rescued by police in Briton Ferry in January. I welcome that which you said in your answer previously about co-operation with DEFRA, but can you tell worried owners in my region when we can expect action to be taken on this issue here in Wales? Can you provide a timetable, and how, specifically, is the Welsh Government working with police and other stakeholders, like RSPCA Cymru, to deal with this matter?

Well, we are working closely, obviously, with the police. As I say, it's a criminal act. It's no different to stealing a car. It's far more emotive, and I absolutely understand that. As I say, I think that people are very afraid because we did see a significant rise in the theft of, particularly, dogs—puppies and dogs—during the pandemic, when there was that increased request for them.

There are some key recommendations in the DEFRA taskforce, which I think we can certainly look to work in. For instance, how we enhance the record-keeping of dogs as pets, because at the moment, we probably don't have that in the way—. One of the reasons for having the database for breeders was then to try and see if we could enhance that to have some sort of register of pet owners, for instance. At the moment, the current legislation just treats pets as mere property. That was why I gave the analogy with cars. So, I think that there is more that we can do around that.

Pet abduction needs to be a specific offence, rather than just that you are stealing something. It's a specific offence. So, I think that that is another area that we can look at. But we are working closely at the moment on this taskforce. I haven't got a complete timeline that I can give you, but please be assured that it is a priority.

We know that there has been an increase in dog theft, for example, over the past year or so. What discussions has the Minister had with the police about the information to new pet owners about the steps that they could take to safeguard their pets?

I'm not aware of any specific discussions in the way that you referred. I have outlined the work that we are doing as a Government to ensure that there is a focus on this, because we have certainly seen an increase in pet theft. I think that it is really important that owners take steps that they can do also to ensure the safety of them. We have certainly seen some horrendous cases that have been highlighted to me, and I think that Sioned Williams just highlighted an important case in her region. But I'm not aware of any specific discussions.