§ Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smithasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will conduct a survey in Northern Ireland to ascertain whether the introduction of a £5 dog licence resulted in any benefits to the community and has had any effect on the number of strays.
§ Mr. ButlerNo. The main provisions of the Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983, including the transfer of responsibility for licensing of dogs and control of stray dogs to district councils, took effect on 19 December 1983. Under article 52 of the order district councils are required to furnish information on the operation of the legislation to the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland but it is too soon to assess the effect of the legislation on the community or the problem of stray dogs.
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§ Mr. Chris PattenThis is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, but I understand from the chairman that the information is as follows: