§ Mr. CryerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to cover rottweiler and doberman pinscher breeds; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerSection 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which creates criminal offences relating to dogs that are dangerously out of control in a public place, already applies to all breeds of dog including the doberman pinscher and the rottweiler.
630WSection 1 of the Act, which imposes stringent requirements relating to certain breeds of dog and their owners, applies to types of dog bred for fighting or having the characteristics of a type bred for that purpose. As neither the rottweiler nor the doberman pinscher is a. type of dog bred for fighting, section 1 cannot be applied to them.
I have no plans at present to use the reserve powers of section 2 of the Act which enables me to impose restrictions on any breed of dog which I consider presents a serious danger to the public. I shall continue to keep under review the need to use these powers in the light of experience of the operation of existing measures to deal with dangerous dogs.