PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Assistance Animals (24 June 2019)

The services of assistance dogs are provided by a number of UK charities and private sector organisations, including owner trainers, some of whom are accredited by international bodies. The Department for Work and Pensions does not offer financial support or raise awareness for this sector.

As the Government does not directly deliver these services, it does not centrally collect data estimating the prevalence of need for assistance dogs, or record the numbers who have access to one.

The services and standards of assistance dogs are currently and historically maintained on the basis of a voluntary regulatory framework. There is no specific legislation for the regulation of assistance dogs and no legislation is planned.

Assistance dogs must be allowed access to premises and services as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. There is also an obligation on service providers to ensure that staff receive disability awareness training. Guidance for service providers on their duties and responsibilities already exists and is available from both the Gov.uk website and from the EHRC – for example:

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/assistance-dogs-guide-all-businesses

The Government continues to encourage service providers to do their utmost to provide the fullest possible access for disabled people.

Officials at the Office for Disability Issues (part of my Ministerial portfolio) initiated and helped convene different members of the assistance dogs sector to look at access, quality and supply issues for assistance dogs, with a view to creating a UK standard. This work is currently being considered by the assistance dogs sector who are responsible for agreeing and implementing this standard.