To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (i) whether he is aware of any central database or register of people banned from owning or working with animals, held by individual councils; (ii) for his assessment of how maintaining such databases could help better enforce such bans; (iii) to detail the legal obligations of the bodies responsible for enforcing these bans; and (iv) for his assessment of how animal ownership bans could be better enforced.

Local councils are responsible for prosecutions in respect of the welfare of companion animals. They do not hold a database or register of all persons in Northern Ireland banned from owning animals. These details are recorded on the criminal records system which is overseen by the Department of Justice. Local councils do, however, use their own information system to record details of any companion animal welfare investigations they carry out, including any conviction secured and the penalties imposed.

The criminal records system holds the information that would be needed to establish a register of people prohibited from owning or working with animals. However, as any register would be animal welfare related, the Department of Justice indicated that my Department should lead on exploring whether or not establishing one is feasible. Detailed research by my Department and its liaison with the Department of Justice has recently regrettably confirmed that the creation of a register of animal welfare offenders is untenable.

In particular, data supplied by the Department of Justice from the criminal records system does not indicate that the number of persons breaching bans on the owning or keeping animals is in anyway significant; during the period from 2016 until 2020, the rate of re-offending in respect of animal welfare offences was very low at 3.35%, with only three breaches of court disqualifications on the actual owning or keeping animals during that period. I am satisfied that, where there is sufficient evidence of a breach, statutory enforcement agencies have powers to investigate and pursue a prosecution.

My officials have, however, been exploring the potential to enhance current ways of working and information sharing between the relevant enforcement agencies to ensure continued compliance with bans on the owning or keeping of animals.