Saying that Defra and the Home Office need to work more closely together, Lord Taylor of Holbeach said he understood "impatience" with the slow progress of the consultation on the Dangerous Dogs Bill.
Speaking at the Conservative conference fringe event, 'Can We Afford to be a Nation of Dog Lovers in an Era of Austerity?', hosted by The Blue Cross, the RSPCA and Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Lord Taylor reaffirmed the importance of animal welfare to the government.
The Blue Cross' Steve Goody stressed the importance of dogs as companions to the elderly and the vulnerable, and the "social lubricant" they can be across the country.
He called on the government to encourage a "pet-friendly" approach, warning that many elderly residents are forced to give up pets when they enter care homes.
Goody bemoaned the prevalence of dog-selling online, which he claims needs to be brought back under control through government regulation.
He also warned that easier availability had made dogs "the new knives" for gangs across the country, and floated the potential for environmental control policy and ASBOs to be brought together.
However, Goody acknowledged that charities had to be aware there were "finite resources" and should also look to creative, non-legislative solutions, including targeted education of problem-dog-owning demographics.
David Bowles of the RSPCA stated that the number of dog bites in the UK had increased by 161 per cent in the last ten years.
Furthermore, 6,000 postal workers are bitten by dogs every year, and the treatment of bites costs the NHS £3m per year.
Dog-on-dog attacks have also increased, with dangerous dogs increasingly bred for status and use in gangs.
Bowles went on to explain the four measures he felt could improve the situation: introducing mandatory identification laws that linked dangerous dogs to their 'irresponsible' owners; extending the Dangerous Dogs Act to include private property; improving owner education and improving welfare for Section 1 prohibited breeds.
Clare Horton of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home said that her organisation had seen a sharp increase in the number of abandoned animals, collecting 17 dogs every day.
Horton warned of dogs being bred to make money and for illegal purposes, a problem exacerbated by the recession. She said that 60 per cent of their intake were strays that were rarely reunited with their owners because they were not wanted or not microchipped.
Local authorities were struggling to meet their obligations towards animal care, with her own organisation having to subsidise their costs or risk having animals put down.
Horton concluded by urging the government to force councils to take responsibility for animals or else risk a dangerous slide into "knee-jerk" policy reactions.