asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will seek to amend Section 1(1) of the Guard Dogs Act 1975 so as to allow the keeping of guard dogs on premises where there is no handler, provided that the dogs are chained up.

No. In the case of Hobson v. Gledhill (Queen's Bench Division, reported in The Times 12th October 1977) it was held that Section 1(1) of the Guard Dogs Act 1975 does not require a handler to remain on premises where there is a guard dog provided that the dog is secured so that it is not at liberty to go freely about the premises.