Ms Teresa Gavaghan:

I thank the Deputy for his questions. The 2020 figures are quite reduced in comparison to the 2019 figures. Covid played a big part in that. During the level 5 lockdowns, only emergency call-outs were allowed and there may not have been as much door-to-door activity. There may not have been as many dog wardens on the streets and they could not stop a person walking their dog to see if the dog was licensed due to Covid. We are responsible for the policy and legislation and all the powers of enforcement are invested in the local authorities. It is a matter for the local authorities to carry out these enforcement activities. Various issues would be raised at our meetings with the CCMA. As I said earlier, various issues are discussed when we hold our dog warden training days. We try to ensure standardisation across local authorities. Senior local authority vets give presentations on how they carry out inspections, on how to proceed to court and on court activities, etc. Sometimes if a fine issues at the end of a year the process might be carried through to the following year and it will be reflected in the following year's statistics.