Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It may. The current situation is unsatisfactory. The dog licensing system is only taken seriously in part by dog-owners. People who wish to be fully compliant with the law will pay for a dog licence but others do not regard a dog licence as a serious matter. We need a much clearer system which obliges compliance by all dog-owners and which uses modern scanning technology to provide full information on the dog. The technology is available. Other countries are pressing ahead with this system and we should get on with it. However, it should be affordable. Some of the welfare organisations have already offered to provide micro-chipping for those owners who may have a difficulty with the cost. There will be options for those owners and these can be worked out during the consultation process.

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