Wayne David MP asked:
During a period of 12 months, two of my constituents—a
10-year-old boy and a senior citizen—lost their lives after being attacked by
dangerous dogs. Fatalities have also occurred in other parts of the country. It
is clear that the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is woefully inadequate. The
Government have commissioned studies and debated the subject at length, but
they have done nothing. My question is: when will the Government take action on
the issue of dangerous dogs? (903171)
The Prime Minister responded:
The hon. Gentleman raises a very important case, and I am very sorry to hear about the specific families he mentions. We recognise that dog attacks can have horrific consequences, and I want to assure him that we take the issue incredibly seriously. That is why we have established a working group between police, local authorities and other key stakeholders to consider all aspects of tackling irresponsible dog ownership. That working group will make its recommendations later this year, and of course, the Government will respond promptly (ends).
Wayne David, the Labour MP for Caerphilly, has questioned the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the House of Commons about the lack of progress from the UK Conservative Government in tackling dangerous dog attacks.
Referring to his two constituents, 10-year-old Jack Lis who was attacked and killed by a dog in November 2021 and 83-year-old Shirley Patrick who was attacked and killed in December 2022, Mr David demanded action from the Prime Minister.
Although the Prime Minister expressed his sympathies to the families of Mr David’s constituents, in response he simply said that the UK Government had established a working group “to consider all aspects of tackling irresponsible dog ownership”. He said that working group would make its recommendations “later this year”.
Mr David said “I am incredibly disappointed by the Prime Minister’s response to me today on dangerous dogs. The working group he mentioned, was set up over a year ago. But Rishi Sunak does not expect their report to be available until late 2023.
“Dangerous dog attacks are an issue that have dramatically affected my constituents and we regularly hear of other incidents elsewhere in the UK. The time for talking has long since passed. I want action from the Government”.
In July 2022, Mr David secured a debate in the House of Commons on dangerous dogs. He called for a new and effective approach towards dangerous dogs that would look at changing the parameters of the current ‘breed-specific legislation’. He argued for an approach which focussed on all dogs, placing new responsibilities on the owners to ensure that their dogs were trained properly and could not be a threat to people.
Mr David also called for a thorough investigation into the implementation of a dog licencing system and whether it would promote responsible dog ownership. Both of these ideas are backed by a number of animal welfare and dog charities including the RSPCA, the Dogs Trust and Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
