Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill: Lords third reading
3 April 2019
The Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill had its third reading, a chance to 'tidy up' the bill and make changes, in the Lords on Tuesday 2 April.
This is a private member's bill. A private member's bill is a type of public bill (that affects the public). Private members' bills must go through the same set of procedures as other public bills.
- Catch up on Parliament TV
- Read the Lords Hansard transcript
- Bills and legislation: Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill
- Lords Library briefing - Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages
- What is third reading?
No changes were suggested to the bill ahead of third reading. Viscount Trenchard (Conservative), the bill's sponsor in the Lords, made a statement on the progress of the bill at the conclusion of its Lords stages.
As both Houses have agreed on the text of the bill, it now awaits Royal Assent, when the bill will become an Act of Parliament (law).
Lords committee stage: Tuesday 19 March
As no changes were suggested to the bill, a motion was agreed that both committee and report stages be dispensed with and that the bill progress directly to third reading. This procedure is known as ‘order of commitment discharged'.
Lords second reading
The Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill had its second reading, the key debate on the draft law's purpose and principles, on 1 March 2019.
Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill summary
This bill aims to increase protection to service animals through an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
This change would allow a court, in certain circumstances, to disregard a defendant's claim that they were protecting themselves and so were justified in using physical force against a service animal, causing it, effectively, necessary suffering.
Further information
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Image: PA