Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Responsible Dog Ownership working group has held recent discussions on the American Bully XL breed.

The Responsible Dog Ownership working group has not held recent discussions on the ‘American XL bully’ as this was outside the scope of its work. The Responsible Dog Ownership working group was tasked with considering improvements that could be made in relation to all breeds of dog, not specific individual breeds. Conclusions from this work are expected soon. These should address all aspects of tackling irresponsible dog ownership effectively, from prevention to robust, consistent enforcement, focusing on owners as well as on their dogs.