Tuesday, 30 April 2024

 Jess WILSON (Kew) (14:52): (594) My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. Will the minister consider developing more specific statutory guidance around declaring dogs as dangerous animals under the Domestic Animals Act 1994? Recently a constituent reached out to me following the tragic death of her dog from a vicious dog attack last year. This event was preceded by multiple other threatening encounters with the same dog. Despite the fatality, the dog in question was not declared a dangerous dog under the act following the fatal incident. Such a declaration would ensure the dog is kept in an appropriate enclosure and that appropriate warning signs are displayed. Section ‍34 of the Domestic Animals Act indicates council may exercise a discretion to declare a dog dangerous if the dog has caused the death or serious injury to a person or animal by biting or attacking that person or animal. However, it provides no specific guidance as to how this discretion should be exercised, and this means that councils are left to themselves to implement the criteria. Given the risks that such dogs may pose to other animals and persons, I strongly encourage the minister to review the effectiveness of the current act.