§ Mr. Simsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is in a position to announce details of the pilot scheme to test new byelaws to reduce the nuisance of dog fouling.
§ Mr. MellorThe details of the scheme have now been settled. The new byelaws will make it an offence for a person in charge of a dog to fail, without reasonable excuse, to remove any faeces deposited by the dog on designated footpaths, grass verges and recreation grounds. The penalty will be a fine of up to £100. Registered blind persons will be exempt from the byelaws. Four local authorities have been selected to take part in the scheme. Rochester upon Medway city council, Gosport borough council and the London borough of Barking and Dagenham have recently adopted byelaws for this purpose and North-West Leicestershire district council is in the process of doing so. Subject to considering any objections which may be received from the public my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary proposes to confirm these byelaws and they will come into operation on Monday 2 September 1985. In conjunction with the local authorities concerned the Home Office will then carefully monitor the project for 12 months and if, as we hope, the byelaws prove effective we intend to offer them as models for adoption by other local authorities.