asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has concluded his consultations with Scottish bodies on the report of the working party on dogs 1976: if he will make a statement.

On publication of the report, which applies to the United Kingdom as a whole, the Department of the Environment invited comments from all interested bodies, including the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. These were submitted to the previous Administration who were unable to reach a conclusion on the report. We are not yet ready to make a statement.