§ Mr. BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations have been made to him since the 1992 general election in favour of the introduction of a dog registration scheme; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Paul BeresfordMy Department regularly receives representations on this issue. For example, in response to the advisory group on litter recommendations on dog fouling last year, we received 104 letters which supported the idea of dog registration.
However, the Government's view has consistently been that dog registration would be bureaucratic and difficult to enforce and that the irresponsible owner would be very unlikely to register. Dog control legislation related to specific problems, as in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and elsewhere, is, we believe, the most appropriate way of tackling these issues.