The current approach to dog control, Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL), is misguided and not fit for purpose.

Safety must be our top priority, but without unnecessarily punishing responsible dog owners or harming dogs that are not necessarily a risk. The Dangerous Dogs Act fails on all these fronts.

Since the Dangerous Dogs Act came into force, more people are being killed by dog attacks and more people are being admitted to hospital due to dog bites. At the same time, too many harmless dogs are being destroyed simply because they are a banned breed, regardless of their temperament.

We must end the policy of criminalising certain dogs based on their breed. All dogs can bite or be dangerous in the wrong hands and action to tackle dog bites and canine aggression must focus on the deed, not the breed.

Last September, I wrote to George Eustice, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and asked him to review the Dangerous Dogs Act.

In that same month, I received a reply from Lord Goldsmith, the Minister for Pacific and the Environment, a copy of which I have posted below.

Disappointingly, the Minister defended the current provision in the Dangerous Dogs Act, where four breeds of dogs are criminalised and need to individually prove to a court that they are acceptable in society.

More recently, a Westminster Hall debate was held on 6 June on breed specific legislation. During the debate, Jo Churchill, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said that the Government would not repeal BSL without something to replace it with.

The Minister highlighted the ‘responsible dog ownership project’ which it established to investigate this issue and build on research recently completed by Middlesex University.

However, whilst it is welcome that the Government is not wedded to the idea of BSL, the ‘responsible dog ownership project’ is not expected to report back until early 2023 and there is no guarantee that some BSL will not be included in their recommendations. What is clear is that the Government will not be taking any action on BSL or legislation to protect people from dog attacks until next year.

Regardless, I can assure you that I will continue to advocate for the replacement of the Dangerous Dogs Act with legislation that genuinely ensures safety and that does not unnecessarily punish certain dog breeds and dog owners.