§ Sir R. Glynasked the Minister of Agriculture if his attention has been drawn to outbreaks of an unknown form of distemper due to arrival in this country of dogs brought in, either by air or sea, by British and allied servicemen and not notified to the authorities for isolation in quarantine quarters under veterinary supervision; and what steps he is taking to stop this practice and to enforce the law.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsIn recent months there have been a number of outbreaks of a distemper-like disease among dogs, but I am not aware of any evidence to connect those outbreaks with the illegal importation of dogs from abroad by British or Allied Servicemen. British and allied military authorities are co-operating in the steps taken to prevent the illegal importation of dogs by servicemen and have prohibited the carriage of dogs in military aircraft. The carriage of dogs on military transports is also prohibited unless their importation is specifically authorised, and all such authorisations require the dogs, on their arrival in this country, to be placed in approved quarantine kennels for a period of six months. Full inquiries and suitable action are undertaken by my Department whenever there is any reason to suspect that a dog has been illegally imported.