John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I fully understand the intent behind the amendment and emotionally I have much sympathy for it. The idea of the amendment would be to instruct a local authority to withhold registration from those who may have certain convictions, especially for cruelty to animals. It would seem to create a blanket provision because it would not matter how old the convictions were or under what circumstances they were received. That seems to be the intent. As someone who abhors animal cruelty and who believes in animal welfare, I have a great deal of sympathy for the amendment. However, we are seeking to impose a new regulatory regime with the sole purpose of providing for the welfare of dogs in breeding establishments.

If one was to stand back from the situation, one might consider it unfair to apply restrictions that might have a retrospective effect. If a person had been convicted of an act of cruelty, he or she would have received the appropriate sanction from the court at that time. It is not for the Bill to punish a person further by denying him or her a right to a livelihood. I intend to allow local authorities use their discretion in such instances. In contrast to the subject matter of the previous amendment, in this instance I will allow local authorities to use their discretion to consider whether a person has learned a lesson.