§ Sir Graham BrightTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will introduce national poop scoop legislation for dog fouling;
(2) what estimate he has made of the level of dog fouling in the United Kingdom; and what information he has about it as a major source of filth and disease in urban areas;
(3) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the existing system of byelaws in improving the environment concerning dog fouling.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe Government accept the conclusion of the advisory group on litter that the present complex system of byelaw control for dog fouling in England and Wales is unsatisfactory We therefore propose to simplify the system so that local authorities can introduce poop scoop measures in designated areas, without reference to central Government. We also propose that there should be a fixed penalty scheme for dog fouling offences to help local authorities enforce the measures. We believe that these measures will go a long way to addressing the group's wish to see a national poop scoop offence created across England and Wales.
My Department has made no estimate of dog fouling in the United Kingdom. I understand that the pet advisory committee has estimated that approximately 1,200 tonnes of faeces are produced each day by dogs in the United Kingdom. In 1993 a survey by the Tidy Britain Group found that about one in six public places in the United Kingdom had dog fouling present. Within this sample, one in three off-street areas such as parks, playgrounds and car parks were fouled.