Dog Control Bill provides progress

20 January 2011

Ahead of the Dog Control Bill reaching committee stage in the House of Lords tomorrow (Friday), the CWU welcomes the progress the bill brings to tackling dangerous dogs.

The key part of the Bill, from the Communication Workers Union’s point of view, is a clause which ensures that prosecutions can be brought in cases where out-of-control dogs attack people on private property.

CWU national health, safety and environment officer Dave Joyce said: “The CWU has been pointing out for many years that the vast majority of attacks on our members take place on private property - on garden paths, private driveways and, in many cases, through letter boxes. It is of the utmost importance that this particular aspect of the law is changed as soon as possible as thousands of workers are left vulnerable under current arrangements.

“We fully support the principles of this bill, which would go a long way to improving the current law which is not fit for purpose. Serious attacks on people of all ages and the tragic deaths of dog attack victims over the past year should be reason enough to take this issue seriously. We’re particularly interested in what the government response will be and are eagerly awaiting the government response to its consultation on the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 which is due early in 2011.”

Lord Redesdale’s Bill, if it became law, would still allow some exemptions to prosecution, but only in cases where a dog attacks a criminal trespasser, or when a dog is defending its owner from a physical attack.

The government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is scheduled to publish its own proposals for dog law reform soon and campaigners hope that DEFRA’s plans will coincide with Lord Redesdale’s.

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