Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 4, line 20, after "pound" to insert "or hunt club".

The logic behind this amendment was debated at length by a number of colleagues from all sides of the House on Second Stage. Commitments were given to the Hunting Association of Ireland regarding an exemption from the regulations and reasons were given at the time. Consultations took place in November 2007 between the Hunting Association of Ireland and officials from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. After that meeting a commitment was given by the then Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. On 9 January 2008 he wrote to the Hunting Association of Ireland stating, "I am very pleased that you will receive the exemption from these regulations that you sought." This was a clear indication that the association and its kennels would be exempt. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, subsequently wrote to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Dermot Ahern on 15 February 2008, to which letter I referred in my contribution on Second Stage. It read:

Given that the primary objective of the proposed regulations is to regulate commercial dog breeding and in view of the strict standards which apply to the members of the Hunting Association of Ireland, it is my intention that groups affiliated to the HAI be granted an exemption from the requirements of the regulations.

Numerous other commitments were given to Government Deputies and others that the kennels of the Hunting Association of Ireland and those of its members would be exempt from the requirements of this legislation. However, the Minister has shifted the goalposts and now wants to exempt them from payment of the fee only. It is acknowledged that the kennels run by members of the association are kept to a very high standard and that there are few, if any, complaints regarding how dogs are kept in them. This would include complaints from local authority inspectors or otherwise. The kennels in question are not breeding establishments, rather they are for holding working dogs used in the legal and rural practice of hunting which, as many Senators have argued, has been a well respected tradition in rural Ireland through the ages. It is Fine Gael's view that, where commitments were made in writing to the Hunting Association of Ireland by the Minister, as well as by previous Ministers, it is only fair that these commitments should be honoured. It is unfair that the goalposts seem to have been shifted.

Section 2 of the Bill states:

"dog breeding establishment" means a premises at which bitches are kept, not less than 6 of which are—

(a) more than 4 months old, and

(b) capable of being used for breeding purposes,

but shall not include a local authority dog pound;

We understand it also means "or a hunt club". The definition of "hunt club" as stated in the section is as follows:

"hunt club" means a hunt or game club—

(a) registered with a national hunting association that is a member of—

(i) the Hunting Association of Ireland, or

(ii) the Irish branch of the Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the European Union (FACE),

It has been acknowledged not only by departmental officials but also by people involved in animal welfare that these are well respected organisations which run their businesses well and that these dogs are kept to a very high standard. I hope Senators will take into account the genuine commitments given previously. We talk about cynicism in politics; what could be more cynical than giving a commitment in writing and then changing it substantially when the Bill is presented to the House. My amendment proposes to include hunt clubs in the exemption as they are separate entities, not breeding establishments. It is well established that they are run to high standards.