The CWU has welcomed the scrutiny report, published today (Thursday) by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA), criticising the draft legislation on dangerous dogs.
Whilst endorsing the amendments to the existing law to cover attacks that take place on private property and on assistance dogs, the report criticises the Government for introducing legislation that falls short of providing wider measures, including Dog Control Notices, to tackle out-of-control dogs.
Commenting, general secretary Billy Hayes said: "We share many of the views of the EFRA Committee and welcome today's call for greater action on dangerous dogs. The proposed legislation is of course a step in the right direction, but the Committee is right to expose its shortcomings.
"We hope that the Committee's thorough and well-argued work will secure amendments to improve the legislation - in particular finding a way to introduce measures which will help prevent dog attacks, not just react after the event. Dog Control Notices would be an obvious method of achieving this and are something which both CWU and the Committee have consistently called for."
"I couldn't agree more," said CWU's national officer Dave Joyce who has spearheaded the union's Dangerous Dogs - 'Bite Back' campaign since 2008. "The extension of the law to private land is key and has been a long time coming. CWU has pushed the Coalition on the 23,000 postal workers attacked in the last five years, the 16 people killed by dogs in the UK since 2005 and thousands injured which has cost the NHS £9.5 million a year paid for by the taxpayer not the irresponsible dog owners who get off scot-free!
"Our concern with the Government's proposals is the lack of effective preventative measures and lack of ability for police and dog wardens to address threatening behaviour at an early stage and reduce risk of attacks. We also have concerns regarding the lack of resources to enforce the law and the fact that there are no measures to ensure that those injured and disabled by dogs will be compensated.
"The CWU and campaign affiliates including the Police Federation, dog wardens, RSPCA, Blue Cross, Battersea dogs' home and British vets want Dog Control Notices introduced. Backbench MPs from all parties support us on that as does EFRA's Chair, Conservative MP Anne McIntosh. With so much support the inadequacies in the proposed legislation are hard to understand.
"The union is wholly supportive of the EFRA report and the criticisms levelled at the limitations of the changes proposed.
"We remain unconvinced that the Government's idea of strengthening the laws governing dangerous dogs will be effective in tackling the wider issue of out-of-control dogs which seems to be on the increase. If the death and suffering of people is not enough to make the Government take heed of what is really needed to stop dog attacks then perhaps this report will help but we'll be lobbying MPs from all parties again for amendments once the Bill is introduced," concluded Dave.
Read the EFRA report: Draft Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Bill in full. http://www.parliament.uk/business/commi ... blication/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
For more information visit Dangerous Dogs - Bite Back. http://www.cwu.org/dangerous-dogs-bite-back.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;