Labour U-turn on dog laws

17 March 2010

Ministers were accused of making a major U-turn yesterday after backtracking over plans to make dog owner-insurance compulsory. Environment secretary Hilary Benn said he did not want to penalise responsible owners. Instead only dogs causing trouble could be targeted with an insurance requirement as part of a control order or 'Dogbo'.

But the Conservatives accused ministers of making a 'political dog's dinner' of law proposals.

'A dog tax on more than 5 million owners was proposed last week and is now ruled out by Hilary Benn in a humiliating U-turn, proving how tired and incompetent this government has become,' said shadow environment secretary Nick Herbert.

http://e-edition.metro.co.uk/2010/03/17/ - p5.