Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I hope not in this case. We are shocked. The Chairman only wrote to the Minister on this matter a few weeks ago. We wanted to have a full meeting with the Minister about this issue, but this is only a sideline. This is a big issue and local authorities, whose representatives have appeared before us, have very limited budgets, as the Minister knows. They often end up increasing rates that ordinary little shops cannot carry, to try to provide money. I saw it happening in my own county. The welfare of animals is very important. The Minister takes it seriously and has done much work in the area. To complement that, he must provide funding for local authorities to ensure they are in a position to deal with stray horses.

I know the Department has brought in the electronic identification system and so on but that does not solve the issue. When there are stray horses in particular areas or on the road, the local authority is the first port of call and the authorities reacted well within the limited constraints they have.

I am delighted the Department brought in the BEAM. I seek some latitude from the Chairman on this matter.