Chamber and committees

Yes.

Yes. You are correct, Mr Swinney. I will bring in Jim Wilson, who has been involved in conversations with the DEFRA group that has been set up.

Ever since this was announced—from day 1—we have been trying to establish the consequences for Scotland of the UK legislation coming into force in England and Wales. I did write again to ask formally. You are correct that we did not get a response until 14 December. It was very unclear and vague.

I do. As I have said, we have not taken the decision lightly. The Scottish Government has been put in this position, and it is not the road that we would like to go down. We know that it is about deed, not breed.

In addition, we need to be clear about responsibility. After the UK Government implemented its legislation, there was a horrific incident down in Essex in which a woman was killed. That dog attack happened in a home, as a lot of dog attacks do. Even though we are talking about having dogs on muzzles and leads outside and bringing in safeguards, because public safety is paramount, we also have to acknowledge the responsibility that comes with dog ownership. We are trying to find a balance in that regard.

Absolutely. Before the negative SSI was laid, I had engaged extensively with stakeholders since November. Last week, I met the National Dog Warden Association (Scotland), which represents a variety of stakeholders, and I am due to meet the association every month as we move forward.

I am very keen to continue to engage with stakeholders. The situation might not be ideal for them, but we can learn lessons and see how we can implement the legislation with stakeholders in mind. Stakeholders are also assisting us in preparing the second SSI with regard to neutering, so it is very important that we continue that engagement.

In response to one of the initial questions, referring to the UK Government group that was set up—

That is what we are trying to do through the Scottish Government website as we move forward with the legislation.

We know that stakeholders were not keen on the guidance that the UK Government came up with and they removed themselves from the group. As I stated, the measurement guidance for male and female XL bullies is on the website. We have copied that to the Scottish Government website, but we would like to be—

My officials have engaged weekly, and I have engaged with stakeholders since the announcement.

It is hypothetical, but it is worth considering as we move forward, when we have a general election coming. Jim Wilson may want to give some background about the court case.

I will pass that question to Jim Wilson, because he will deal with the lawyers and put the SSIs in place.