Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish guidance for owners of XL Bully dogs who were unable to register their dogs by the deadline.

Applications for a Certificate of Exemption to keep an XL Bully dog opened on the 14 November and closed at midday on 31 January. This date was set out in legislation and gave owners over two months to apply. It is now against the law to keep an XL Bully dog without a valid Certificate of Exemption, and new exemptions can only be authorised by a court order. If owners think they have an XL Bully dog and do not have a Certificate of Exemption, we advise that they should contact their local police force. We have published this guidance on GOV.UK.