Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he has taken to ensure that dangerous dogs in (a) Neath constituency and (b) Wales are electronically chipped.

As of 6 April 2016, all dogs in Great Britain had to be identified by a microchip and registered on a database. We estimate that over 94% of dogs in Great Britain are microchipped. More broadly in relation to controlling dangerous dogs, it is a criminal offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control, with a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment in the case of an attack resulting in the death of a person; 5 years’ imprisonment in the case of an injury to a person; and 3 years’ imprisonment in the case of an attack on an assistance dog. In addition, police and local authorities can issue Community Protection Notices to owners of dogs involved in low level dog nuisance incidents allowing intervention before a dog becomes dangerously out of control. Failure to comply with such notices can result in a fine of up to £2,500.