§ Mr. SpellerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what he estimates to be the non-working dog population, and the number of dogs destroyed as sick or unwanted during the last 10 years for which statistics are available.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe Department does not collect this information. I understand that the Pet Food Manufacturers Association estimate the total dog population in the United Kingdom to be 6.8 million. It is not known how many are working dogs, nor how many are destroyed as sick or unwanted.