This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Parliament approves Dog Fouling Bill
13/03/2003
The Dog Fouling Bill was today approved by Parliament
enabling local authorities and the police to tackle the
problem more effectively.
The Dog Fouling (Scotland) Bill, which was introduced to
parliament by Keith Harding MSP last year, will:
- change the nature of the offence from one of
allowing a dog to foul to one of failing to clean up
after a dog;
- apply to all public land
- allow the police and local authorities to enforce
the new provisions by way of fixed penalty notices as
opposed to going through the courts; and
- remove the need for corroborating evidence which
currently makes it difficult to secure a
conviction.
Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services Peter
Peacock said:
"People across Scotland have the right to enjoy their
local environment free from the nuisance and health risks
often caused by dog fouling. That is why the Executive has
supported Keith Harding's Bill from the outset and worked
with him to amend his Bill to make it fully workable.
"We have re-affirmed this support by committing to
undertake a national publicity campaign to ensure the
public are aware of the new laws and, more importantly, to
encourage dog owners to change their attitude and act more
responsibly.
"Our message to dog owners is clear - its is
unacceptable to let your dog foul in a public place and not
clear up after it.
"This Bill also reflects what the Executive is doing on
a wider scale to make a real difference in Scotland's local
communities through our Quality of Life initiative. We gave
£95 million to local authorities in 2002 to fund local
projects to deal with such things as litter, graffiti and
dog fouling and we have set aside a further £180 million
from the Budget for the next three years to help drive it
forward.
"Tackling dog fouling is an integral part of our wider
initiative to improve the quality of life for the people of
Scotland. We believe that the combination of better
legislation and our publicity campaign will make a real
difference to communities across Scotland."
It is currently an offence under section 48 of the Civic
Government (Scotland) Act 1982 for anyone in charge of a
dog to allow it to deposit excrement in certain public
places. Any person committing such an offence is liable, on
summary of conviction, to a fine of up to £500. The new
offence will make it an offence not to clear up in all
public places and will allow the police and local
authorities the option of issuing fixed penalty notices -
£40 increasing to £60 if not paid within 28 days from the
day after the offence was committed. Anyone wishing to
contest a fixed penalty notice can request a hearing in
which case the local authority will pass the papers to the
Procurator Fiscal for consideration.