Dog Theft (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Overview

About the Bill

As introduced, this Bill makes dog theft a specific statutory offence with penalties of up to five years in prison and/or an unlimited fine. The Bill also allows people who are victims of dog theft to give a victim statement to the court. In this, they can express the impact the crime has had on them physically, emotionally, and financially. 

The Bill also makes the theft of an assistance dog, an aggravated offence. This is a more serious issue and, as a result, sentences given may be more severe. This reflects the vital day-to-day services assistance dogs provide, such as helping owners get around safely, and the greater impact the theft of such a dog would have on the victim of the crime.

The Bill asks the Scottish Government to collect data on dog theft and to publish and lay before the Parliament an annual report which includes that data. 

Finally, the Bill asks Scottish Ministers to review how the Act is working after five years.

Current Status of the Bill 

 This Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament by Maurice Golden MSP on 17 February 2025.

Read and find out more about the Bill: Dog Theft (Scotland) Bill.

Stage 1 

The Rural Affairs and Islands has been designated as the lead Committee for the Bill and details of that Committee’s consideration can be found on the Bill’s page on the Parliament’s website by expanding the section “Stage 1: General Principles”.

Financial Memorandum 

As with all Bills, the Finance and Public Administration Committee invites written evidence on the estimated financial implications of the Bill as set out in its accompanying Financial Memorandum (FM). 

Read the FM published alongside this Bill.

Making a Submission

Before making a submission, please read our Privacy Notice about submitting your views to a Committee. This tells you about how we process personal data. 

Please note that in most cases your submission will be published on the Scottish Parliament's website and may be quoted in the Committee's report or in Committee meetings (which are public and broadcast). 

Please use the Questionnaire provided for your submission:

1. Did you take part in any consultation exercise preceding the Bill and, if so, did you comment on the financial assumptions made?  

2. If applicable, do you believe your comments on the financial assumptions have been accurately reflected in the FM?  

3. Did you have sufficient time to contribute to the consultation exercise?

4. If the Bill has any financial implications for you or your organisation, do you believe that they have been accurately reflected in the FM? If not, please provide details. 

5. Do you consider that the estimated costs and savings set out in the FM are reasonable and accurate?  

6. If applicable, are you content that your organisation can meet any financial costs that it might incur as a result of the Bill? If not, how do you think these costs should be met?  

7. Does the FM accurately reflect the margins of uncertainty associated with the Bill’s estimated costs and with the timescales over which they would be expected to arise? 

The deadline to submit your views is: Monday 21 April 2025.

We welcome written views in English, Gaelic, Scots or any other language. Due to the time required to process and analyse evidence, late submissions will only be accepted with the agreement of the Committee Clerk.