Control Of Dangerous Dogs (No.2)

EDM number 71 in 1993-94, proposed by Graham Allen on 24/11/1993.

That this House notes with regret the latest killing of a child by a dog; calls for an immediate response from the Home Secretary; believes that the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is totally inadequate and needs an urgent and immediate review; recognises that a comprehensive but balanced approach is necessary, and that this should include consideration for a more widely drawn Dogs Act, designed to educate and encourage responsibility among all dog owners, particularly among the minority of inconsiderate owners, and consolidating all dog-related legislation, a national registration scheme, including third party insurance, for all dogs rather than one which is ineffective and covers just a few breeds to enable all dog owners to be traced and the breed of a dog to be more accurately and easily defined, to fund a national dog warden scheme and, where necessary, to enable neutering of dogs, working with and listening to responsible dog owners, the RSPCA and others in a Dog Advisory Committee, freeing magistrates to use their discretion on the full range of controls and penalties against irresponsible and anti-social dog owners and taking action on strays and uncontrolled dogs which cause problems of fouling public places, traffic accidents, and neutering, to avoid having 350,000 dogs destroyed each year, all of which would be tackled by effective registration and education; and believes that further consideration should be given to the breeding and sale of dangerous dogs and examining whether the ownership of such dogs should be limited to those who genuinely need them.

This motion has been signed by a total of 45 MPs.