Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

The Minister claims not be using a heavy hand in this legislation but he is not prepared to accept the wishes on both sides of the House that there be a greater lead-in time. If that is not being heavy handed, I do not know what is.

The Minister is going against the wishes of the vast majority in this House. He talks about consultation. There were many aspects in the report that was commissioned, including a minority report from the Irish Greyhound Breeders Association that is not referred to in the Bill. Consultation is one thing, but the Minister is listening while not heeding what people are saying because he does not want to hear. He has his own view, is digging his heels in and is not prepared to compromise on such a minor issue as a three month lead in period.

He mentioned the British press claims Ireland is a bad place for dog breeding. There have been occasions and incidents that we deplore. I was first to raise the disgrace of puppy farms six years ago. Everyone wants to rid ourselves of the rogues and blackguards involved in this type of breeding of dogs. We do not, however, want to penalise those who are looking after their dogs properly. That is what the Minister is doing; he is tarring everyone with the one brush. He is going about this the wrong way, he is getting people's backs up unnecessarily.

Accepting a lead-in time of longer than three months is the minimum we expect, it is not a lot to ask. I find it reprehensible that the Minister talks about good faith but is not prepared to accept a reasonable amendment that the vast majority of people in the House support. I hope those on the Government side who know what the situation is like will support the amendment. It is nothing to do with the principle of the Bill, it is a reasonable amendment that has been put down to allow for a practical arrangement. We will need a greater lead in time.

Senator Coffey has outlined the local authorities do not even know what regulations will be put in place. The Minister is talking about people coming into the Department. It is rubbish and, with all due respect to the Minister, he should be man enough to accept the proposal being put before him and that has the support of almost everyone in this House and the vast majority of people in the country. We cannot pander to minorities who have no interest in overall animal welfare.