John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I wish to make a few points on the Bill, but because some of them have already been made, I will not dwell on them too much. Like other contributors, I also wish to support the Bill. It is the first time I have spoken in the Dáil when there has not been a single Opposition Member present, but I suppose they are supporting this legislation too.

I agree completely with what Deputy Anthony Lawlor said about the slaughter of horses. In addition, Deputy Ann Phelan will be familiar with a premises in Kilkenny that is currently engaged in that business. There has been a significant increase in the number of horses being brought to that premises and other such facilities around the country.

One current difficulty is that we have very small numbers in the thoroughbred sector and because of that we cannot get the drugs to be certified. That presents a problem with the horse passport and meat being deemed as unfit for human consumption. Perhaps the Minister can examine that issue.

Deputy Dara Murphy spoke about veterinary education, which I also wish to address. In yesterday's debate, the Minister outlined the changes that have taken place. Some five or six colleges are now offering veterinary nursing courses as well as veterinary practitioner courses. The Department of Education and Skills and third level institutions need to examine student access to those courses. I am familiar with the cases of several vets who trained overseas, particularly in various parts of Europe, because they could not get into colleges here. At a time when we are bringing a significant number of vets from other jurisdictions to work here, it would be appropriate to extend such courses for more Irish students who have a genuine interest in the care of animals.

I have traditionally supported the CAO points system, but there is more to professions involved in animal care - as with caring for humans - than just the bare points race. If people have a genuine aptitude for such professions, it should be taken into consideration. It is unsustainable to export Irish students to gain qualifications abroad while at the same time having to attract foreign vets to service our domestic industry.

Many vets in my area - I am sure it is the same in other parts of the country - have expanded their practices greatly in the last few years. I am familiar with vets whose practices would have been solely agricultural, but who now have practices that almost entirely treat domestic pets. With the economic downturn, however, more vets are returning to deal with farm animals as there have been obvious improvements in the agricultural economy in the past 12 months in particular. These have coincided with a reduced number of citizens attending veterinary clinics for their pets' problems.

The Bill focuses on a key aspect that the Government must address across the economy in the next four or five years, which is the need to reduce the cost of professional services. It might be argued that the terms of this legislation could be extended to other practices that may not necessarily need to be carried out by vets or veterinary nurses. In this context, it is welcome that certain practices such as scanning and micro-chipping, farriery and others, are specifically listed in the Bill and as a result of these changes, will be permitted to be carried out by persons who are not qualified veterinary practitioners.

I ask the Minister of State to refer in his concluding comments to some points I wish to raise. Deputy Bannon referred to the closure of veterinary offices in different parts of the country. The veterinary office in Kilkenny was downgraded a number of years ago and there is widespread speculation that the Waterford office, which services the Kilkenny area, is due for a similar downgrading over the next couple of months. The Minister of State may not be in a position to comment but if he is, I would like to hear his views. Deputy Tom Barry hit the nail on the head in his contribution when he spoke about Ireland leading the way in respect of animal welfare. We have a strong record in that regard. Irish vets and veterinary nurses are respected across the world for their work. The change in the legislation governing those professions is to be welcomed.

See this speech in context