Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I happy to second the Bill proposed by my colleague, Senator McGreehan, who has regularly raised this issue. I thank the Minister for her leadership. She has worked with the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, to try to address this. It is critical, especially in light of recent events, most notably the death of Nicole Morey, that we take action quickly in this regard. I was particularly concerned and I raised this issue following the appalling attack on the nine-year-old boy, Alejandro Mizsan, in Enniscorthy in May 2022, which people will recall. Alejandro was just playing with his friends and he has been left with permanent facial injuries as a result of the horrific attack. The life of any human, any child or any individual, has to be far more important than the right of an individual to own a particular dog, especially a dangerous dog. We know that between 2016 and 2022 there were 1,700 dog attacks on humans and there were 1,350 incidents involving livestock.

Senators McGreehan and Carrigy have already referred to the particular concerns around sheep, but other animals have also been attacked. This is about responsible dog ownership. It is not always the dogs' fault. It is frequently the fault of the owners. I support the banning of particular breeds and certainly a ban of the XL Bully and some of the other breeds listed is needed. My one caution is that dealing with cross-breeds is a challenge. This is something that I am certain some people will try to get around. Therefore, I note it has been suggested, and I hope the stakeholder group is looking at this, that there are bans not only on particular breeds but, where the cross-breeds result in wider jaws, a particular size of animal and so forth, that other requirements are put in place to ensure that people do not get around the rules by cross-breeding. There is also merit - this is where we come to the question of dog licensing - in looking at the idea, in the same way as when people apply for a driving licence, that they have to do a test.We should not just hand out a licence to own a dog to anybody. There should be a specific requirement because being able to own a dog is a privilege and there are certain people for whom it is not appropriate. I am not opposed to the idea that, in the same way that those who want to have a driving licence have to do a theory test, those who want to have a dog licence should meet particular requirements to prove they are able to own a dog. That could be done simply by filling in an online test. There have to be grounds for the Garda to object to particular people having a dog licence, which would not be any different from applying for a licence to own a pub. In certain circumstances, the Garda can object to certain individuals having a pub licence and the Garda should be allowed, in certain circumstances, to object to individuals having a dog licence.

I agree with Senator Carrigy about microchipping. We need to move in the direction of having a database to maintain records of dog ownership, which is a part of the Bill. Having a microchipping database would also address the issue of dog fouling which, as the Minister and nearly every local councillor will say, is one of the biggest issues for Tidy Towns committees, of which there are many in the Minister's constituency, including all-Ireland Tidy Towns winners. We need to take stronger action. By having a microchipping database, as provided for in the Bill and as used in Malaga and some other Spanish cities, this problem can be addressed.

I welcome the progress that has been made but we need to move to a decision. There are now far too many incidents of dogs from dangerous breeds attacking people. The life of an individual is far more important. I hope the Minister will accept the principles of this Bill, act on the recommendations of the stakeholder forum, ban particular breeds and address the problem with regard to cross-breeds. We must recognise that there are responsible dog owners but we have to start to root out the irresponsible ones.

I commend my colleague, Senator McGreehan, for all of her work on the Bill. She has highlighted, in particular, the attacks on humans but, as the Minister will be aware, livestock has been attacked by dogs again and again and it is simply not acceptable. It has a huge social and economic impact. I hope we can move fairly quickly to address these concerns.