2. What advice has the Counsel General given to the Welsh Government regarding the legal powers available to strengthen the ability to protect livestock from dog attacks in Wales? OQ56443

The Welsh Government is currently working closely with police forces, the UK Government, other devolved administrations and stakeholders to explore how best to address the serious issue of dog attacks on livestock and prevent its devastating effects.

But we know, of course, Counsel General, that Scotland has the powers that they need to take action to tackle this problem, and that there's already been a Bill laid in Parliament there. Unfortunately, generally speaking, we, in Wales, are reliant on the UK Government to take action, but they've refused to do that. They've refused to give police more powers to take DNA samples from dogs suspected of attacks, more rights to seize dogs in certain areas, strengthening fines, compensating livestock owners for their losses and so on and so forth.

So, we've been in negotiations with the UK Government for many years. I raised this over two years ago. Isn't it now time for you to join with me and others in calling on the UK Government, as they clearly don't intend to take action on this issue—. Will you join with me in calling for the devolution of the necessary powers to us, in the Senedd, as has happened in Scotland, so that we can tackle this problem once and for all? 

Well, the Member knows that my function is to ensure that the Welsh Government works within its constitutional powers, but also to ensure that we can work to the furthest boundaries of our devolved powers, and that we seek all possible opportunities to ensure that the devolution settlement is reformed in a way that benefits the people of Wales. The Minister for environment has recently written to the UK Government to ask for changes in this area in terms of legislation based on the kind of criticism that the Member referred to in his question. And we, as a Government, certainly strongly agree with a need to reform legislation in Westminster, which would enable us to do more than is possible at the moment.