Caít Keane (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for bringing the Bill to the Seanad first. I raise the issue of circuses. The Minister said they may not come under this legislation but I do not know what legislation they will come under. For years, there have been calls to ban elephants and some other large exotic animals in circuses. Four years ago, Cork City Council, the Minister's county council, voted to ban elephants in circuses in public places in Cork but it was never implemented. I do not know whether officialdom got in its way in Cork but the councillors there voted against the use of elephants in circuses.

Elephants in circuses are not trained by positive enforcement. I am going by what I have read from the experts. They are trained by prodding or poking them or by sometimes making them bleed. This is a cruelty issue and I bring it up under cruelty to animals. The argument is put forward that they are an endangered species. I am only referring to circuses because there is elephant conservation in zoos and in Florida there are elephant conservation places. Will the Minister look at this issue?

Senator Pat O'Neill mentioned inspectors. Some inspectors are visiting without notice. Perhaps the Minister will look into that. I refer section 63 on traceability. If only we had the same traceability in place for humans in the Department of Health. Tracing meat and bio-security are so important. We could all learn much from this Bill in regard to traceability and making sure all the systems are in place. I come from a rural area but work in an urban area, although as a Member of the Seanad, one works all over the country.

I refer to educating people about the diseases which can be picked up from animals. Local authorities could play a big role in regard to families with small children who have dogs and birds, in particular. They get them as pets but they do not realise what diseases they bring with them.

Sections 47 to 49, inclusive, deal with local authorities. When a fine is imposed it will be paid to the Minister or the local authority. The legislation states that any further expenses on local authorities will be paid by funds from the local authority. When I was on a local authority, I always said Ministers were great at bringing in regulations and placing further onuses on local authorities with no further funding. I am sure fines will stay in the local authority if it collects them. It would be an incentive to ensure the collection of fees, because different licence fees and so on are being brought in, if the local authority retained the fees. I commend the Minister on this extensive Bill.