Mr. Eoin Ryan:

I will comment on the animal welfare aspect. The Department has a large number of authorised officers under the Animal Health and Welfare Act. Most Department vets would be authorised and, of course, each county is covered by a regional veterinary office. The office in Limerick, for example, covers Limerick and Clare. Every member of the Garda is an authorised officer. In addition, nine inspectors from the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ISPCA, are authorised officers. Four inspectors from Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, DSPCA, are authorised officers. It is up to those organisations to decide how best they allocate their resources across the country.

From his office, the Deputy may have heard me mention that we provide funding to a number of animal welfare charities around the country. The Minister provided €5.8 million to 99 such charities right across the country last year. Those are in every county. They are large, small and medium-sized charities that provide a range of services, including, for instance, awareness raising and education. One of the points made earlier - it was raised by the Deputy - related to the importance of raising awareness of issues such as responsible dog ownership. That is a large part of it. It is important, of course, to intervene when animals are in need.