§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recent guidance she has issued to local authorities in respect of their powers and duties under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976; [15391]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) use by the local authorities of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 in relation to the sale of animals subject to the Act. [15392]
333W
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 19 November 2001]No recent guidance has been issued to local authorities in respect of their powers under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. However, my Department recently commissioned an independent review of the Act.
A copy of the review report is on the Department's website and comments on it have been invited by 31 January 2002. Once this consultation exercise has been completed, we will publish a paper setting out how we intend to take forward the report's recommendations, which include proposals that additional guidance should be provided for local authorities, and that it should be an offence to sell, give or otherwise transfer responsibility for a dangerous wild animal to an unlicensed keeper.