HC Deb 25 May 1972 vol 837 cc1612-3
20. Mr. Laurance Reed

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics he keeps of injuries to children caused by guard dogs; and what trends these reveal.

Mr. Carlisle

Information is available only for 1970, when 39 children under 14 years of age were known to the police to have been bitten by guard dogs in England and Wales.

Mr. Reed

Is is not time that a clear statutory obligation was imposed on the keepers of guard dogs to fence their property and to display adequate pictorial warning notices, and also to place them under liability, where they fail to do so, in regard to injuries to child trespassers?

Mr. Carlisle

It would be possible to introduce such legislation, although the regulations might be difficult to frame successfully. The view of the police is that legislation relating specifically to guard dogs is not necessary and would not necessarily be helpful.

Mr. Greville Janner

Is it not correct to say that not one owner of one guard dog which caused injury to any of these 39 children was prosecuted? Is not the law at the moment utterly powerless to deal with the situation? In that case, whatever the views of the police should not the law be changed?

Mr. Carlisle

Guard dogs are at present under the same control as any other animal and there are powers to take the owners before the courts if the dogs are not kept under proper control.

Mr. Janner

Were any taken to court?

Mr. Carlisle

I cannot tell the hon. Gentleman exactly how many owners of guard dogs were prosecuted. I would do so on notice.

Mr. John Fraser

Is there not a case for putting dogs into the category of ferae naturae so that children or adults who are injured by them are not met with the defence that the dog is allowed one bite and so that the owners of guard dogs would be subject to strict legal provisions in regard to injuries caused by guard dogs?

Mr. Carlisle

I must make it clear that by no means the majority of accidents in which children or adults are bitten by dogs are caused by guard dogs. The problem is one generally of controlling dogs rather than one necessitating specific action against those dogs which are described as guard dogs.