asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the present cost of dog licences was fixed; how many dog licences are currently in issue; what is the estimated revenue from dog licences during the current financial year; what is the annual cost of administering these licences; and what estimate has been made of the number of unlicensed dogs.

The present fee for a dog licence was fixed in 1878. About 2·7 million licences are expected to be issued in this financial year producing revenue of approximately £.1·03 million. At present administrative costs amount to about half the revenue. I have no reliable estimate of the number of unlicensed dogs.