One of the first pieces of casework that I had after being elected was an appeal for help from a woman who had been relocated and rehomed as a result of escaping from domestic abuse. She was in an extremely vulnerable condition, having had to move from her home and community to a new town, having had to move her daughter to a new school, having to try to make new friends and cope with the trauma that she suffered as a result of domestic violence.

She had some ducks, and she told me how watching the ducks and looking after them helped her cope with the mental stress that she was under; however, the housing association was not happy for her to keep the ducks because they were considered not as pets but as livestock.

I went to see her. These were a small number of ducklings, kept cleanly and tidily in a small, purpose-built hut in her back garden— pets that brought pleasure and comfort to a vulnerable person who desperately needed that pleasure and comfort. I remember her telling me, 'I'm treated differently because I can't afford to buy my own home.'

The housing association eventually gave in, after I intervened, but how many more people receive orders and accept them, without the ability, or the energy or the knowledge to challenge them? Why should someone who cannot afford to buy their home, or who has had to move to a new home for whatever reason, be deprived of companionship, of the mental health support, of the pleasure and love that pets can provide? I encourage you to support this proposal, which would ensure that everyone can benefit from keeping a pet, whatever their circumstances.