Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact that the Minister is publishing the 2018 statistics in June. How many people have been prosecuted and convicted for breaches of the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 to date? The 2017 figures showed there were 2,176 on-the-spot fines issued under the Control of Dogs Act and 766 were paid, with 191 prosecutions and 99 convictions. What happened to the remainder of those fines?

We still hear incredible horror stories, a number of which come before the courts. There was an incident in Roscommon a few years ago and a few months ago, at a registered establishment, somebody was prosecuted and committed to prison for a number of years for gross cruelty, as well as being banned for life from having dogs and horses.

Do we not need a more vigorous regime? I asked the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Ring, about this on a previous occasion. It is very unusual to have three Government Departments regulating it, in the shape of the Department of Rural and Community Development under the 2010 Act, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. Is there some area in which we could move forward and have better invigilation of these establishments?

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