Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)

That petition is particularly important for me.

The state of dog and animal welfare in Ireland is lamentable. This needs to be tackled. This would be one way of doing it.

In the context of the petition, Lisa O'Connor has done a lot of work in this area. During the pandemic, there was a situation where stolen dogs were probably more lucrative than drug transportation. This matter is really important. I do not think anybody could equate a stolen mobile with a stolen family pet. It would be important and a good time to deal with this because people are increasingly conscious of the poor treatment of animals and of the position regarding dog welfare in Ireland. It would be important if the petitioner could be heard at some point this year, if that is possible.