John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I have no doubt that the people involved in the dog breeding industry are reasonable for the most part and I have no reason to believe standards are not being upheld. I have no difficulty with engaging in consultations. I have indicated to my officials that they should meet interested parties and they have done so on several occasions. That is as it should be.

In regard to Senator Mullen's contribution, if tweaking is necessary I would be happy to consider any amendment he might propose on Report Stage.

I referred earlier to his point on consistency across local authorities. As I am only too aware, this difficulty arises in a number of areas. One has only to look at the annual service indicators to recognise the lack of consistency between local authorities. I certainly do not want to see this occurring in the context of this Bill. The only way to achieve the Senator's aim, however, is by making sure local authorities enforce the guidelines properly. On reflection, I feel it is better to preserve the section without amendment because of the difficulties that could arise otherwise.