Labour MSP James Kelly praises the work of the committee in reviewing the legislation.

He says council funding is under pressure and therefore finding cash for the legislation is a challenge for some.

There is supposed to be one person in each local authority tasked with dog control but the National Dog Wardens Association has found this is not the case, he adds.

He backs a dog control database which can track attacks and incidents of dogs being out of control.

Mr Bowman echoes calls for a better dog control database.

The Tory MSP says the evidence shows the need for immediate action by the Scottish government on the legislation relating to the control of dogs.

"We can no longer afford to be complacent."

He urges the government to act with all due haste to enact the committee's recommendations.

Tory MSP Bill Bowman says there are three key points made by the committee:

1. legislation has had a limited effect on attacks
2. current legislation is not fit for purpose
3. the call for an immediate review of 2010 Act

He says a database on dog control notices would be useful and the failure of ministers to establish it is unacceptable.

Mr Bowman also highlights concerns related to resources, and specifically the number of dog wardens.

Ms Denham says the Scottish government will publish a wider review on dog legislation, including considering reducing the threshold of criminal liability for dog owners for the attacks their dogs make.

This could include changing "reasonable apprehension" in terms of dog owner liability which would be a significant move, she adds.

Claire Jones
BBC News Online

Image source, PA Media

Twenty-five years ago, Britain became one of the first countries in the world to ban certain breeds of dog. BBC News examines whether the Dangerous Dogs Act has been effective.

Six-year-old Rucksana Khan was playing in a park near her home in Bradford when she was savaged by a pit bull terrier and taken to hospital with critical head and chest injuries.

The case was among 10 others in 1991 that were brought to Parliament, and prompted the then home secretary to introduce a bill promising "to rid the country of the menace of these fighting dogs".

The Act imposed restrictions on four different types of dogs traditionally bred for fighting, the pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, Fila Brasileiro and Dogo Argentino.

Read more.

Ms Denham says in May 2016 the Scottish government published a protocol on dealing with dangerous dogs which has proven useful to enforcement agencies.

She accepts there is a lack of data on out-of-control dogs and problems associated with them.

Tory MSP Liam Kerr raises concerns about the perception of a 'one free bite' rule, which refers to 'reasonable apprehension'.

The minister says she is happy to meet with the Communications Workers Union to discuss this.

She explains the government is now seeking views on the next steps for dog control legislation, external, including:

• more powers of local authority officers when dealing with dog owners
• the creation of a database
• fixed penalties for breaches of Dog Control Notices

Image source, bbc

Community Safety Minister Ash Denham thanks witnesses who gave evidence about the tragic attacks on their children.

Ms Denham confirms the Scottish government is committed to helping keep communities safe from irresponsible dog owners and their out of control of dogs.

She explains two reviews to improve the dog control legislative regime are being progressed:

1. one published last week looks at practical measures to improve the operational elements of the Control of Dogs Act
2. the second is a wider look at the dog control legislative area including whether the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 should be reformed

The committee welcomes that several local authorities are meeting with police officers to establish a better response, Ms Marra tells the chamber.

She says previously there was some confusion about who could do what given the law on dog control is spread between councils and police.

The committee convener says no data is collected about hospital and A&E admissions for dog-related injuries and calls for this to be done.

We must "seize this opportunity to make our communities safer", Ms Marra concludes.

Ms Marra says the 2010 Act included giving ministers the power to set up a dog control database, given the lack of data.

The Labour MSP says the government has failed to enact a database in nine years.

The National Dog Wardens Association of Scotland say that is a big miss, she adds.

She calls for the minister to commit today to establish that database and not consult again on this.

A mother has told how her six-year-old son's ear was torn off by two dogs that were kept off the leash.

Claire Booth was out walking with son Ryan near their home in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, when she says two English bull terriers came "from nowhere" and "dragged him around the ground".

Four years on, the mother says her family are still wary of open spaces.

It comes as a Scottish Parliament committee claimed that dog control legislation is "not fit for purpose".

Read more.

Ms Marra says the evidence given to the committee underlined the need to have proper dog control laws in place and the costs when they are not.

There have been 129 attacks on Royal Mail workers in Scotland since April this year, she states.

If these attacks were on other people I have no doubt there would be more awareness of it she suggests.

The convener goes on to highlight the untold threat facing other workers, such as care workers who visit homes.

She says the committee backed a comprehensive review of all dog control laws and she welcomes that the government has committed to reviewing both the 2010 Act and the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

The scale of dog attacks in Scotland has been revealed as a Holyrood committee considers reviewing the law.

The post-legislative scrutiny committee heard parents of children killed or disfigured by out-of-control dogs detail the horrific attacks endured when owners acted irresponsibly.

MSPs heard from the mother of 11-year-old Kellie Lynch who was killed when two Rottweiler dogs turned on her in Dunoon in 1989.

Veronica Lynch told MSPs: "The injuries she suffered were so severe that we were not allowed to touch her.

"We realised later that she had been decapitated."

Read more.

Ms Marra explains 49 responses were received on the committee's inquiry, and the committee became aware of great concerns about the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act and subsequent actions by police and councils.

She says MSPs heard from parents whose children had been attacked and seriously injured by dogs, "one of the most powerful committees we had ever attended".

The Labour MSP says the committee "listened in horror as Claire Booth and Lisa Grady spoke of the dog attacks on their children and the life changing injuries they received as a result".

Image source, bbc

The committee convener says: "We were humbled when Veronica and John Lynch bravely shared with us the events around the tragic incident where their daughter Kellie, at only eleven years of age, sustained fatal injuries when she was attacked by two Rottweilers."

Ms Marra says Kellie was due to start St John's High School with her that summer and her year group was much the poorer for her absence.

She thanks the witnesses for their bravery.

Image source, Getty Images

New laws were introduced in Scotland in 2010 but MSPs recently heard evidence there was still an "unacceptably high prevalence of dog attacks".

Holyrood's post-legislative scrutiny committee said they considered it to be "nothing less than a national crisis".

The Control of Dogs Act 2010 was introduced to promote responsible dog ownership but the committee said it was not working.

Its report called on the Scottish government to undertake a comprehensive review of all dog control laws immediately.

Read the committee's report here., external

Post-legislative scrutiny committee convener Jenny Marra is opening today's debate on the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010.

The committee concluded in July that the Act had a "limited effect in preventing or reducing the number of dog attacks".

It also said current dog control legislation was not fit for purpose and urged the government to review it.

The Control of Dogs Bill , externalwas introduced in 2009 as a member's bill by SNP MSP Christine Grahame - it sought to make it an offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control, including in private premises.

Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur says: "This very much feels like Groundhog day."

Mr McArthur asks how more than six years into the SPA's existence and two years into Susan Deacon's tenure fundamental conflicts of interest and about who does what and where the boundaries lie.

Mr Yousaf replies Susan Deacon has done an excellent job into driving forward improvements at the SPA.

Green MSP John Finnie asks about steps to resolve a disconnect between the SPA and local scrutiny.

Mr Yousaf says the SPA recognises the need to improve its approach, insisting he and the SPA are committed to local accountability.

Tory MSP Liam Kerr asks what the SPA's current policy is on holding meetings in private.

The minister insists Susan Deacon has brought much more transparency to the SPA.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf says the SPA has developed and is in the process of implementing changes, which HMICS highlighted as progress.

A new 10 year strategy on policing will have to be refreshed at the start of next year, he adds.

Mr Kelly insists the report found serious flaws in governance and he calls for a timescale for when the report's recommendations will be addressed.

The cabinet secretary recognises SPA has improvements to make, but suggests the picture painted by Mr Kelly is incorrect.

He says he will update Mr Kelly and the Justice Committee up to date in terms of timelines for the SPA's review.