Ms Becky Bristow:

There were a number of questions there. I thank the Deputy very much. At the end, I will let Mr. Brennan pick up on the questions regarding the local authorities and a single Department. On cash sales, the big-picture thinking going on in the UK on these matters is quite interesting. Discussions are under way there regarding the possibility of banning cash sales of pets. I am not sure if people would be clear as to why this is such an issue. The cold hard reality is that once cash is involved, criminality is allowed for. This results in a lack of revenue for the Government and allows poor welfare to be hidden. That is our concern.

How would one go about banning it? It is quite an interesting question. If one made a lot of noise about banning cash sales of pets, members of the public might start to ask themselves why they are being asked for cash, so quite the same level of enforcement as is needed for other legislation might not be required. Even just talking about it enough and getting people to stop and think about why legislation and a ban on cash sales is being considered might cause them to ask why that is the case. Then, when they come to pay for a pet, they may say that they do not wish to pay cash. We all know that people sometimes choose to pay cash for various reasons but in this space, people accept it so readily that they do not realise what is wrong with it. As to how such legislation would be brought in, I have to respectfully say that is not my area of expertise but I believe the mere fact of bringing in such legislation and talking about it would make an enormous difference.

The Deputy asked a question about the rate at which dogs were being destroyed. It is really about where they are being destroyed. Fifteen years ago, 26,000 dogs were put to sleep in local authority pounds in one year. In 2019, fewer than 400 were. That is a massive sea change for which we are deeply grateful. A lot of work went into that in terms of what happens to the dogs. They get rehomed and there is also more neutering going on so there are fewer accidental litters. However, Dogs Trust research has uncovered that part of the problem has moved to private vets. People are acquiring dogs from low-welfare breeders. These puppies are not socialised and have health issues and, unfortunately, are having to be put to sleep by vets at quite a young age because of behaviour and difficult veterinary issues. That is a problem.

Although I will own up and say that I do not have specific research on this, we also question what happens to some dogs. We have 90 licensed dog breeding establishments in this country, some of which have 100, 200 or 300 breeding females. What happens to them when they are finished? We do not know. The issue has, therefore, improved as it pertains to the local authorities. They have really got on board with the improvements that can be made. We feel that the problem has moved elsewhere and that it is still a problem that needs to be dealt with.

The Deputy also asked about dangerous breeds. Dogs Trust is very clear in saying that it is about the deed not the breed. I would say that it may be a matter of a dangerous owner rather than one of a dangerous dog. We are not in favour of the restricted breeds list. We feel that one of the things it does is suggest to people that a German shepherd is a problem while a Labrador is not. It is about how owners socialise dogs as puppies, how they treat them, how they interact with the dogs and how they teach people to interact with them. It is about learning about dogs' behaviour and knowing the warning signs so that bites do not happen. A very big part of what we do in Dogs Trust is educating children and adults about dog behaviour. I strongly believe it is not appropriate to categorise particular dog breeds as dangerous. It is very much a question of the individual dog and the circumstances in which it has been bred and trained. Sadly, it is often being badly treated that leads to those behaviours. I will hand over to Mr. Brennan because the Deputy had some questions about the single Department and the local authorities.