LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill

This is because section 32(5) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 specifies that for all offences committed prior to the commencement of section 281(5) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, the reference to 51 weeks imprisonment is to be read as a reference to 6 months imprisonment. [...] Clause 1 of the Bill seeks to amend the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in order to change the maximum penalty available for the following offences only: a. [...] Consent is required for the provisions in Clauses 1 and 2 of the Bill because they fall within the legislative competence of Senedd Cymru and do not relate to reserved matters in Schedule 7A to the Government of Wales Act 2006 as they relate to animal health and welfare. [...] Animal welfare is a priority of the Welsh Government and it is the view of the Welsh Government that it is appropriate to deal with these provisions in this UK Bill for reasons of timing and coherence. [...] The provisions of the Bill align with the Welsh Government policy objectives regarding the promotion of animal welfare.