Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support the Order of Business as outlined by the Deputy Leader.

I thank everybody who joined in the St. Brigid's Day festival over the weekend. It was incredible to see the energy, not just in County Kildare but all around Ireland, and indeed outside the country as well. There was a special mass in St. Bride's Church in London, which was lovely to see on RTÉ television the other night. I make a special mention of Fr. Liam Merrigan in Monasterevin who organised a small Camino walk, which I participated in. More than 2,000 people came from all over Ireland to have a period of reflection. It was a special ceremony. I thank Brigid 1500 and Into Kildare for all the work they did, and the Solas Bhríde Centre and Sisters Rita, Mary and Phil who were so welcoming to so many people over the weekend. We look forward to this time next year when we have the Brigid 1500 programme again. One small note though is that it was slightly ironic that everybody with a Leap card could bring somebody free onto public transport on the bank holiday weekend. That is fantastic but in south Kildare we cannot avail of a Leap card because we are not in the short hop zone. We have to send that message loud and clear once again that the people of south Kildare want to be included in the zone and be eligible for a Leap card.

I also want to bring up dog control issue. We were all very shocked by recent dog attacks, including one that left a lovely young boy from Wexford called Alejandro with life-changing injuries. Of course we have also heard about recent tragic cases reported on from the Coroner's Court. A number of farmers have also been devastated by scenes of destruction created by marauding dogs. In Cadamstown, County Kildare, 30 sheep were attached last week, of which 19 were killed and the others very badly injured. Insurance will only go some way towards supporting the farmers in these cases. In that case the cost to the farmer was in excess of €5,000. We need proper oversight and implementation of dog control measures. According to the statistics, 76% of dogs are unidentified, that is, they are not licensed and chipped. We need clarity on the role of the dog wardens, and we need more of them. The country has far too few. I met with members of the Irish Farmers' Association, IFA, recently. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has set up a working group, which is important, but the IFA wants particular areas focused on. I support their members in what they need. They need a single national database and full enforcement of microchipping and licensing applications. It is shocking that not one fine was levied in Kildare last year. We need a stronger enforcement by dog wardens and gardaí. We need increased on-the-spot fines. It is something we need to take seriously. We need to have a debate in the House on the working group and where it is going.