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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to help prevent dog attacks on postal workers.

Responsibility for dog control is devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In England and Wales, owners whose dogs are dangerously out of control are breaking the law and the maximum penalty is a custodial sentence of up to 14 years. This includes in relation to attacks on postal workers.

Defra is working with the Home Office, police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to help prevent attacks by encouraging responsible dog ownership, to ensure dog control issues are addressed before they escalate and to make sure the full force of the law is applied. As part of this work, we will continue to consider whether the current dog control rules are sufficient to ensure communities are protected.