Last weekend, it was reported in the Telegraph that an 11-year-old boy had been attacked by a dog.

Kailum, from Greenock, was ‘pinned to the ground and repeatedly bitten’, which left him hospitalised.

Bedbound following the attack, he was unable even to celebrate his 12th birthday or attend his first day of high school.

This experience must have been horrific for Kailum and will undoubtedly have a lasting effect on him.

But sadly, Kailum’s shocking experience is not a unique one.

As readers will be aware, dog attacks have featured all too regularly in the news in recent times.

And I think readers will agree that something must be done to try and reduce and prevent these sort of attacks.

Indeed, the Scottish Government have been pressed on this issue before.

In January this year, Anas Sarwar asked then-First Minister Humza Yousaf about the Scottish Government’s commitment to a review of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010.

The Act aims to ensure that dogs in Scotland are kept under control by owners and authorities.

In 2019, a cross-party committee of MSPs found that it was ‘not fit for purpose’ and had a ‘limited effect in preventing or reducing the number of dog attacks in Scotland’.

In light of this, the Scottish Government committed to reviewing the Act with a focus on tackling irresponsible owners and breeders, who are often the source of the problem not dogs themselves who are in the main loving and friendly companions.

But, we are now five years on from that commitment – and still, nothing has been done.

Clearly, this dither and delay by the Scottish Government is unacceptable.

The government’s inaction has seen dog attacks continue to occur in Inverclyde and across Scotland, leaving people like Kailum understandably feeling unsafe.

How many more stories must appear on our front pages before the laws in this space are reviewed and amended?