Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. As Senator Boylan stated, based on the brief we got the discussion I thought we were coming in to talk about is the impact of rising veterinary costs and dog ownership surrenders and abandoned dogs and the opening statements only skirted around that issue. There is not really a whole lot to say about it. Without being flippant or smart, I could not help thinking during the conversation of the one-liner where a man is in the garage buying a top-of-the-range Mercedes and he turns around to the salesman and asks how many miles to the gallon it does. The answer is that if you have to ask that question you cannot afford the car. I cannot stop thinking along those lines. It is down to awareness. I know both Departments have said it. It was mentioned in the opening statement that following the working group recommendations there would be awareness campaigns in the new year.

Anytime we have discussed animal welfare issues or small pets here, I have talked about my idea that when a dog is being licensed or chipped, it would be necessary for an animal's owner to do something similar to the driver theory test. Even a tick-box exercise would make owners aware of some of the demands and responsibilities of being a responsible pet owner. Included as part of such a test could and possibly should be the potential hidden costs that potential owners may not be aware of.

When a mother and father and a young child go into a pound to rescue a dog, and that five-, six- or seven-year-old falls in love with a dog, the last thing on their mind is what that is going to cost down the line. They are not going to break the child's heart, so they end up taking the dog. This matter is more for the witnesses from the Departments. I refer to a situation where if people went to register a dog, at least a small little bit of awareness and education might be imparted regarding correct responsibility and the unforeseen hiccups that might arise down the line. As I said, included in that context would be potential hidden costs that people might not be thinking of in that moment of joy when getting an animal. This all comes down to education and awareness.

The Minister is announcing a lot of money tomorrow for animal welfare groups. This is to be welcomed. A great deal is being done on the Government side to help the welfare groups, but we are here today talking about a situation where an individual gets a bill of €2,500. I am not saying Senator Boylan was overcharged, or anything like that, but, as was said, in many households the dog is gone at that stage. I am not castigating anyone here but unforeseen circumstances can arise after a dog has been got. When an unexpectedly large bill hits many households, it is not always possible to pay it. This is not through anyone's fault.

My question in this regard, for discussion purposes, concerns whether there is potential here for pet health insurance, where people would be paying a small amount for that regularly. I know this concept does exist. Is it gaining traction? Would it be a runner with the vets? If people were paying so much weekly or monthly, would there be potential here for such insurance to at least break the back of the shock of receiving such a sizeable bill? I would like to get the opinions of the witnesses from Veterinary Ireland concerning the potential that may exist for such a form of insurance. I would like to hear from the witnesses from the Departments, then, on the points I have made about raising awareness and education. This is as much about education as awareness.