Deputy Eamon Ó Cuív:

On the control of horses, could the Minister give us a breakdown of how the costs for urban areas and rural areas compare? There is an endemic problem in urban areas. I believe prevention would be much better than a cure. What discussions has the Minister had with his colleague, the Minister for Finance, on the development of further horse projects in urban areas to divert people from keeping horses in inappropriate settings instead of spending millions of euro disposing of these horses?

With extra moneys coming in from the betting tax, would the Minister, along with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government persuade the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to set aside some of the yield to deal with the problem of abandoned horses in urban areas?