Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Minister. I was slightly shocked this morning to listen to a radio interview on "Morning Ireland" in which the headline was about the cost of such services. There was then an interview with someone from an animal welfare organisation who welcomed what the Minister is doing in regard to microchipping.

The Minister's approach is right. Microchipping is a very good idea and I fully support him in this regard. It is important, as the Minister pointed out, to make sure this is done as cheaply as possible and that an arrangement can be arrived at with the veterinary services to do this. I am sure goodwill will be shown to the Minister. In the event that people cannot afford it, I am sure groups such as the Irish Blue Cross, with some assistance, could ensure the service is available for people who are genuinely less well-off.

If we compare the cost of keeping and feeding a dog with the one-off cost of microchipping it, the benefits far outweigh the cost.

Will there be a central register? If a dog is microchipped, one can say one knows who the owner is, but one only knows this if there is a record. In what way will that operate? Dog licences are, apparently, only purchased by 13% of the population. A law observed in the breach is not a good law. Is consideration being given to abolishing the dog licence when microchipping is introduced? According to the figures, only 13% of the population have a dog licence. I do not think a law that operates on that basis is a good one. If one was suddenly to make the figure 100% tomorrow and accompany it with microchipping, one might meet resistance. Perhaps the matter should be considered.

Is there such a thing as a feral cat in the context of the Bill? Can anybody presume a cat is feral? By not specifying feral cats, do we effectively treat all cats equally? I ask this question because there is a concern that animal and vermin extermination companies are putting down feral cats, but there is no clear way to identify whether a cat is feral. I am curious about the legal advice the Minster received on this issue. If one makes feral cats a specific subgroup, will one weaken the protection of feral cats in respect of extermination companies? Will one end up defining them and saying they can be treated differently from other cats? The only upside to having a definition is the introduction of a policy of trapping, neutering and releasing, an issue which is worthy of debate and needs further examination. I seek clarification of what would happen if we were to introduce a definition at this late stage. Would we create unintended consequences that would have the opposite effect to that which we desire? I know people are concerned that extermination companies are being hired and seem to have a free hand. I do not know how they determine one cat is different from another in a scientific way.

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