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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Dangerous dogs law change suspended by Welsh government | Dangerous dogs law change suspended by Welsh government |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Planned legal changes to control dangerous dogs have been suspended by the Welsh government. | Planned legal changes to control dangerous dogs have been suspended by the Welsh government. |
| Ministers say they still want to create a new offence to punish the owners of dogs who attack people at home, but they will try to do it by working with the UK government. | Ministers say they still want to create a new offence to punish the owners of dogs who attack people at home, but they will try to do it by working with the UK government. |
| Work to prepare legislation that would have gone through the Welsh assembly has been suspended. | Work to prepare legislation that would have gone through the Welsh assembly has been suspended. |
| Existing laws cover only dog attacks in public or prohibited areas. | Existing laws cover only dog attacks in public or prohibited areas. |
| The Dangerous Dogs Act, passed in 1991, does not include attacks by dogs on private premises. | |
| It only applies to public places, or private places where the dog is not meant to be. Allowing a dog to injure someone is punishable by up to two years in prison. | |
| The Welsh government has pointed out the act does not, for example, protect postal workers if they are bitten when they make deliveries. | |
| Proposals for a Control of Dogs (Wales) Bill would have widened the scope of the law so it applies anywhere in Wales. | |
| A draft of the bill was unveiled last year and a consultation on it closed in March. | |
| However, last month it emerged that the UK government has its own proposals which would also end the immunity for dog owners whose dogs attack people in their own home in England and Wales. | |
| In a statement on Thursday, Wales' Natural Resources Minister Alun Davies said he would work with the UK government to "take forward our proposals on and England and Wales basis". | |
| "In discussions with the Home Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), it has become clear that there may be value in a joint collaborative approach," he said. | |
| 'Best vehicle' | |
| "I will continue discussions with the UK government with a view to considering whether early UK parliamentary legislation would be the best vehicle to take forward our proposals in a coherent way." | |
| He added: "We will continue to work with Defra to ensure that their proposals to amend the Dangerous Dogs Act will include provision to make it an offence for dogs to be out of control on private premises and provide protection for assistance dogs." | |
| The Kennel Club has warned that the proposals could mean owners are prosecuted if their dogs attack a burglar. | |
| In the meantime work on the bill has been suspended, but Mr Davies said it could be revived if he cannot get an agreement with the UK government. | |
| The bill could have led to dog owners attending training sessions if they lose control of their pets. | |
| The legislation would also have forced the owners of out of control dogs to register with local councils and only allow the dog out in public wearing a muzzle. |