Thank you for contacting me regarding the ideas put forward by RSPCA Cymru ahead of the Member’s Bill Ballot in September.
Having led a Senedd ‘Member’s Proposal Legislation Debate’ in February noting my proposals for a British Sign Language (BSL) Bill in Wales, when Members of all Parties voted in favour of the motion, I am very sorry that I will therefore instead be submitting my proposal for a BSL Bill on this occasion.
As a general point about animal welfare, however, my colleagues and I in the Welsh Conservatives take issues of animal welfare extremely seriously and will continue to work hard to ensure that future Welsh Government policy maintains and enhances high animal welfare standards. Sadly, under Welsh Labour, animal welfare took a back seat in Wales, with big issues, such as Lucy's Law, only being introduced during the last moments of the fifth Welsh Parliamentary term.
Our Manifesto contained a number of key animal welfare pledges, including a ban on keeping primates as pets and compulsory CCTV in slaughterhouses, as well as an animal offenders register, and we have campaigned vigorously to introduce higher animal welfare standards in Wales for a number of years. We will, of course, continue to press the Labour Welsh Government on these important matters and work to ensure that Wales is a world leader for animal welfare.
