kola Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 House of Commons Oral questions to the Secretary of State 4th Feb. 2010 Dangerous Dogs 21. Martin Linton (Battersea) (Lab): What steps he plans to take in response to Professor Sir Patrick Bateson's report on legislation on dangerous dogs. [315397] The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Jim Fitzpatrick): The Government take the issue of dangerous dogs very seriously. We welcome Professor Bateson's report, which deals mainly 4 Feb 2010 : Column 446 with dog breeding and the way in which dogs are bought and sold. We will be taking views from key organisations before deciding on the Government's response to the issues raised. I am delighted to tell the House that my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Martin Linton) and I had an opportunity to engage in a preliminary discussion on these important matters yesterday, when we paid a very informative visit to the excellent Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Martin Linton: My hon. Friend saw during his visit to Battersea that almost half of all the dogs that are admitted are Staffies or Bull-breed crosses. Most have to be put down even though they are of sound temperament, because back-street breeders are selling puppies in pubs-often to complete strangers-for £250. Does he accept that the dog control laws are no longer fit for purpose, and will he institute a review looking not only at the Bateson report, but at compulsory microchipping, a minimum age for dog ownership and some form of registration for breeders? Jim Fitzpatrick: I cannot agree to the call for a review, because I understand that that has formal implications in respect of the procedures of the House, but I can assure my hon. Friend that the Bateson report will inform Government policy on this important issue. Recent tragic attacks have demonstrated that these very dangerous dogs still present a danger in ordinary people's homes, so we do need to look at the issue, and I agree with my hon. Friend that the Bateson report gives us an opportunity to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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