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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of progress to prevent attacks on humans by dog breeds such as XL Bully in England and Wales.

The Government is taking urgent action to bring forward a ban on American XL Bully dog types following a concerning rise in attacks and fatalities, which appear to be driven by this type of dog. We intend to have the legislation in place to deliver this by the end of the year.

In the meantime, we have been working hard with the 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 across all breeds of dog.