Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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50. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development what efforts are being made by her Department to ensure that local authorities are enforcing the legislation to collect fines under dog control regulations. [10551/24]

Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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What efforts are being made by her Department to ensure that local authorities are enforcing the legislation to collect fines under dog control regulations?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. My Department has policy responsibility for the Control of Dogs Act and local authorities have responsibility for all operational matters, including enforcement.

The Control of Dogs Act set out a number of legal obligations with which all dog owners must comply. The Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 set out further requirements on compliance for owners of specific breeds of dogs, including crosses of those breeds.

I am committed to improving outcomes in dog control in Ireland and, in this context, I recently increased on-the-spot fines for offences under the Control of Dogs Act, including trebling the fines for most serious offences from €100 to €300. Multiple fines can be issued where more than one offence occurs.

In addition, I announced the establishment of a high-level stakeholder group to consider and make recommendations to strengthen policy on these issues. I have appointed John Twomey as chair of the stakeholder group, which comprises members with a broad range of expertise, including academics, veterinary surgeons, local authorities, farming interests, charities working in the field and animal welfare experts. The first meeting of this group will take place shortly.

My Department is also supporting a national training programme for dog wardens to ensure consistency and a standardised approach to enforcement. This training begins in April. I believe it is important for dog owners to be aware of their responsibilities, not just to the general public but also to their dogs. For this reason, I intend to launch a media campaign shortly to alert dog owners to their responsibilities and to raise awareness of the dangers that can be posed by uncontrolled dogs.

Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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There were 240 attacks by dogs on livestock and 180 on other animals across the State in the past two years. There were 1,500 dog attacks in the same period with 430 of them on people. Despite this, some local authorities have failed to issue any fines in the past four years. It is estimated that there is one dog warden for every 3,000 dogs in Ireland. According to the Irish Independent, four counties have not issued any fines in the past year, while three were handed out in one. As the Minister can hear, this level of enforcement is hit and miss. Unfortunately, no dog warden has the capacity to police that number of dogs. There is an issue with the number of dogs. The Minister has responsibility for policy on dogs but something needs to done regarding its implementation by local authorities.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The local authorities will be part of this stakeholder group. I updated the Government today on the work I am doing in the Department on dog control. The sum of €2 million has been provided in funding to local authorities to enable them to upgrade dog shelters and purchase equipment to support the local dog wardens in their work, but also to fund a neutering campaign.

My Department is carrying out a comprehensive communication campaign on responsible dog ownership. I have the booklet with me here that has just gone out. I blame the owners not the dogs because they are not treating them well, they are not training them properly and they are not keeping them under control. People need to keep their dogs under control.

Some local authorities are currently recruiting dog wardens. I believe the local authorities in counties Mayo and Dublin have recruitment processes under way. Increasing the fines will mean more money to help the local authorities finance dog warden positions. The local authorities have responsibility for the dog wardens. Dog wardens do not have an easy job.

Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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As a dog owner, I am aware that there are far more responsible dog owners than there are irresponsible ones but, like in every other area, there needs to be enforcement of the rules and the legislation. My local authority is Fingal County Council and it is an example of best practice in respect of the number of dog wardens and the level of enforcement. I see dog wardens regularly in my local park. They also respond to the concerns of the local community. If dogs are roaming around the place, they will do spot checks and knock on the doors of people who have had dog licences to check whether they still have a dog. A lot of enforcement and a lot of proactive work goes on within the local authority. It is concerning, however, to hear about some local authorities that have not issued a single dog fine. It is obviously very low on their priority list. This is a public safety issue.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I engaged previously with the Minister on issues relating to a very small number of dog owners. A few irresponsible owners can cause a significant number of problems. There are issues concerning the commonage on the Cooley Mountains. In fairness to Louth County Council, its dog wardens have carried out media campaigns, which I welcome.

The ability to fine people has been mentioned, but it must be ensured there is enforcement. I am very interested to hear what timeline the Minister envisages for the recommendations of the stakeholder group. That process is necessary.

Seeing as I am talking about the Cooley Peninsula, the Minister will not be shocked if I try to find out if she has an update for me. She said she would ask the Minister for Transport about the possibility of an upgraded local improvement scheme involving areas such as the Cooley Peninsula that suffered greatly from flooding.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I thank both Deputies for their questions. To go back to the dogs, I am also in contact with the local authorities. They will be on the stakeholder group. There are many different stakeholders when it comes to dogs. The farming community will be represented on it.

I thank Deputy Donnelly for providing the example of Fingal County Council, which obviously runs a very good show when it comes to dog wardens and the number of dog wardens that are there. I accept that there are some cases where it is hard for one or two dog wardens to cover a whole county, especially in rural areas but no matter how many dog wardens we have, they cannot be everywhere at the same time and it is up to the dog owners. As I said, we have this fine booklet here and we are really going to push the responsibility back on the owners to make sure they keep control of their dogs, in particular as we come into the lambing season.

I will have to come back to Deputy Ó Murchú this evening on the local improvement scheme as I do not have all the information with me here.