7. Statement by the Minister for Social Justice: Update on Ukraine

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:24 pm on 17 May 2022.

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Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 5:24, 17 May 2022

Thank you very much, Russell George. We do understand how important people's pets are to them and so we want to do everything we can to ensure that people who are seeking refuge in Wales are reunited—you've given one example—with their pets because they have been in quarantine. This is something, again, that I raised at a three-nations meeting last Thursday, and we're going to put this on the agenda when we meet again with the Ministers to look at how we're handling this. But I just have to say that we're in consultation with not just UK Government, but Public Health Wales, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and our local authorities about how we can best support those who bring pets with them. Obviously, it is about safeguarding animal and public health. I just need to say that, before arriving, Ukrainians should contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency. And, of course, our contact centre, 24/7, is dealing with these issues, and we have been supporting refugees to ensure that their pets can come with them.