§ Lord Stanley of Alderleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect to announce proposals for the control of dogs.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)The Government has today published a consultation paperThe Control of Dogs, to seek public reaction to proposals which my right honourable friend the Home Secretary, together with my right honourable friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and the Environment wish to make. This paper co-ordinates a number of proposals aimed at tackling dog control problems directly and without the need for a national dog registration scheme.
Proposals to improve the control of dogs canvassed in the paper include: a new offence of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control; additional powers for local authorities and the police to seize and detain or destroy a dangerous dog; new powers for the courts to impose muzzling and other controls on dogs; additional controls which might apply only to certain breeds or types of dog, or the banning of such dogs; a new offence of allowing a dog to stray persistently; and a fixed penalty system for enforcement of the collar and tag rules or other dog control provisions.
Copies of the paper have been placed in the Library. Comments on these proposals are requested by 15th November.