§ 22. Mr. Soleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is satisfied that there is sufficient co-operation between all interested bodies to deal with any outbreak of rabies in the United Kingdom.
§ Mrs. FennerWe are satisfied that there is sufficiently close co-operation between the Government and all other interested bodies to ensure that any rabies outbreak would be dealt with quickly and effectively.
§ Mr. SoleyDoes the co-operation include discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment to consider a dog warden scheme? How could an outbreak of rabies be contained without dog wardens?
§ Mrs. FennerAs long as the country is free of the disease, stray dogs do not present a rabies hazard, so control is not justified on the ground of the danger of rabies. Local authorities would have to detain and destroy strays if an outbreak occurred. As the hon. Gentleman knows, some local authorities already operate a dog warden system.