§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next intends to meet representatives of the RSPCA to discuss a national registration scheme for dogs.
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§ Mr. BaldryWe have regular discussions with the Joint Advisory Committee on Pets in Society, which includes RSPCA representatives, on matters relating to responsible dog ownership and to the implementation of the package of dog control measures contained in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. We will introduce the dog control measures next year. They include a duty on local authorities to enforce the requirement that dogs wear a collar and identification tag when in a public place and to ensure that stray dogs are collected up. We believe that the measures will provide a practical and effective solution to the problems caused by irresponsible owners. We remain of the view that registration would be bureaucratic, expensive to operate and ineffective.