Mr. Wm. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many stray dogs were seized by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in police divisions N and O in 1974, 1975, 1976 and in 1977, or the financial years if more convenient, giving for each year and division the number of dogs actually seized or captured by the police and the number seized or captured by the USPCA after information given to the society by the police;
(2) if, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Londonderry on 30th January 1978, he will now give the sum charged to expenditure on the Royal Ulster Constabulary in the years, or financial years if more convenient, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977 as a result of the work of the Royal Ulster Constabulary relating to the seizure and detention of stray dogs; and what fees, if any, are paid to the USPCA for the work carried out by the society in relation to dogs handed over to them by the Royal Ulster 198W Constabulary; and by whom the fees are paid.
§ Mr. DunnAs indicated in my reply on 30th January, records relating to stray dogs are not kept centrally and information on numbers is not, therefore, available. The work of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in relation to stray dogs is not accounted for separately. The Police Authority makes a contribution to the USPCA's costs and the sums paid in the last three years were:
1974–75 £27,500 1975–76 £33,000 1976–77 £40,000