§ Lord Houghton of Sowerbyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the number of pit bull terriers (a) registered for exemption; (b) in the custody of the police; (c) destroyed by order of the court; and (d) estimated unaccounted for; and
Whether their review of the first full year of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is now complete and when they intend publishing the fullest statistics available.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)Over 8,000 notifications were made in respect of pit bull terriers. Some 5,300 certificates were issued, of which 4,600 are currently valid.
Information on the number of prosecutions, convictions and cautions under the Act for 1992, is expected to be available in December and I shall write to the noble Lord as soon as the information becomes available. Information on the numbers of pit bull terriers in the custody of the police and those destroyed as a result of court proceedings under the Act, is not collected centrally.
Examination of the workings of the Act is a continuing process. We shall shortly be issuing a further Home Office circular on aspects of the operation of the Act.