To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of the operation of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991; and if he will make a statement. (259350)

In 2007 we undertook a review of the dangerous dogs legislation. DEFRA consulted all chief officers of police in England and Wales to find out their views on how effective the dangerous dogs legislation is, what could be done to improve enforcement and whether any parts of the law need to be changed.

Responses indicated that police forces would benefit from further guidance on the existing legislation and DEFRA aims to publish this soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs against how many people orders have been made under section 2 of the Dogs Act 1871 in each year since 1997. (259534)

Records of such orders are only held by the individual courts which issued them. No central record is kept and to collect the information would incur disproportionate cost.