Last opportunity to have your say - the deadline is 21st December 2012:
Your
views are being sought on a government proposal to increase the fee to
add a prohibited type of dog (section one of the Dangerous Dogs Act) to the
Index of Exempted Dogs.
The
application fee is currently set at £24 (£20+VAT) and is proposed to increase
to £92 approx. (77+VAT).
Currently
pet owners who have been through the court system, based mainly on their dog’s appearance,
will need to complete the exemption process, within two calendar months, if the
court orders exemption as the alternative to destruction of their dog. They may
have to find hundreds of pounds in relation to this for example kennel boarding
and court costs, neutering, tattoo, insurance and in some cases veterinary and
health costs once their dog is released to them from custody.
This
is a Defra consulatation specifically for Wales as a previous consultation
asked for views on a proposed increase in this fee for dog owners in England.
We contacted Defra to ask them if there will be a separate consultation for
Scotland and they replied there is not one planned at this time.
We
wrote to Defra to ask them if those outside of Wales could participate in this
consultation and to confirm what is proposed, they replied:
“The consultation
proposal to increase the fee to place a dog on the Index of Exempted Dogs on
the is aimed at Wales only because we have already consulted in England, as
part of Defra’s wider package of proposals to tackle irresponsible dog
ownership (the consultation in England ran from 23 April to 15 June
2012).
All the other
proposals will apply to England only, whilst the proposal to increase the Index
fee will affect both England and Wales.
We propose
increasing the fee from £20+VAT to £77+VAT to reflect the full cost of
administering the Index.
Link to
consultation documents: http://www.defra.gov.uk/consult/2012/10/26/exempted-dogs-fees-wales/
If you did not
respond to the England only consultation, we would welcome your comments to
this consultation.”
The
Consultation Summary:
Defra
is seeking views from Wales on a proposed increase in the fee for placing a dog
on the Index of Exempted Dogs.
The
proposal has already been consulted upon in England as part of a package of
measures aimed at tackling irresponsible ownership of dogs. However, the other
proposals would apply to England only. The Index of Exempted Dogs applies to
Wales as well as England.
How
to respond:
Please
send responses to either:Hugh Togher-Animal Welfare Team
Defra
Area 8B, 9 Millbank
c/o 17 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR.
Tel: 020 7238 5991
