Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----the committee meeting and this debate were scheduled for the same time. I compliment the Senators who sit on the aforementioned committee. They do amazing work. We all bring our own little bit of knowledge to these Houses, but we have a Senator here who brings exceptional knowledge when it comes to the issue before us today, namely, the welfare of dogs. We have had committee hearings on this issue, and it is clear that Senator Boylan's knowledge is exceptional. I chaired some of those meetings. The learning curve for me was steep. I am a bit of country bumpkin and I did not know about half of the stuff that is happening out there. Those hearings were quite graphic in many ways. We heard examples of what is being done to dogs. It is terrible stuff all together.

We really need to tighten up the legislation in this area and this Bill is a very important step in that regard. It addresses some of the issues that came up during the course of the committee's hearings. We should endeavour to move this legislation forward in a timely manner in order to ensure that the regulations that are in place are workable. The regulations that exist at the moment are absolutely bizarre and I do not know how Departments have allowed this to happen. The current regulations are unworkable, but this legislation goes a long way towards sorting out the core issues.

This is also a cultural issue. While it is important that we legislate, we must also inform and educate people. We have all read the reports on recent sheep kills which is another significant issue. I spoke to Senator Kyne about this yesterday. He rightly stated that the advertisements we had in the 1980s about sheep kills must be rerun. We must educate people about what they need to do to control their dogs. That does not form part of this legislation but it must form part of our work for change. The theme of change is important. The situation must change because society wants it to change. As other speakers rightly said, this is a huge issue. The vast majority of households have a pet of some kind. While 99.9% of pet owners take care of their animals appropriately, unfortunately there is a minority that does not do so. That is why we need legislation to make sure that dogs, and all other pets, are treated properly. This important issue must be addressed.

I am disappointed that I missed the start of this debate but I want to lend my support for this Bill. I will do what I can to make sure that this legislation goes through the Houses as quickly as possible. We all have our own skill sets and while this issue does not form part of mine, I have learned a lot in the past eight or nine months. It is important that we try to push this legislation through in order that we get meaningful change on what is a really important issue.