Ms Bairbre Nic Aongusa:

I thank the Deputy for the question. As I said earlier, I agree that it seems a bit incongruous and confusing that the functions are spread across three different bodies. We have responsibility for the Control of Dogs Act and the Dog Breeding Establishments Act from a policy perspective while the local authorities have operational responsibility and deal with enforcement. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine deals with animal welfare. Responsibility for the Control of Horses Act, for example, rests with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine whereas the Control of Dogs Act rests with us and the local authorities. That is worth considering. As I said earlier, discussions have commenced with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the local authority veterinarians about the transfer of responsibility for dog breeding establishments, which clearly come under the remit of animal welfare.

As I said earlier, the Control of Dogs Act is an historical matter about controlling stray dogs and dog fouling, which also comes in under the litter Acts, which are the responsibility of another Government Department, namely, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The question is more complex as it relates to the control of dogs. However, it is a matter that will be discussed and considered into the future.