Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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I have raised this issue a number of times in the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, we are all familiar with the post-Christmas puppy regret and with the large numbers of surrenders that are seen in January. However, it appears that Christmas has come early this year, with four shelters in the past 24 hours announcing they are at capacity and 17 in the past three weeks having announced they are full.

Unfortunately, it is a combination of the now unwanted post-Covid-19 lockdown dogs and the housing crisis forcing tenants to choose between their beloved pet and putting a roof over their heads. It is leading to a large number of dogs being surrendered. While I am not excusing anybody who got a dog during lockdown and who did not do the proper assessment as to whether they would be able to look after an animal for the 15 years it can take, that is not to say that a number of the dogs that are being surrendered are being so because they have behavioural issues caused by the fact they were bred in industrial puppy farms, where they were inbred and deprived of human interaction for those important first few weeks of their lives.

It is the Government's failure to regulate those puppy farms and to ensure the dogs are properly socialised that has led to this glut in dogs being available for people to buy during lockdown and that is now leading to the glut of those being surrendered. I asked for the Minister of State to come before the House today because I did not get an adequate response from the Department of Rural and Community Development, which has responsibility for the dog breeding establishments and the Control of Dogs Act, while animal welfare falls under the brief of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. What is the short-term plan by the Department to support these shelters with their capacity issues? Will funding be put in place so that they can foster the dogs out or provide new accommodation for them? They are under extreme capacity pressure.

What is the plan in the long term for dealing with the dog breeding establishments, which are churning out dogs, as if on a conveyer belt, making them readily accessible to people to get, and then, when the behavioural issues manifest or when people who are irresponsible no longer want these dogs, they are turning up at the shelters? Again, it is the public who are picking up the paycheck for those surrendered dogs.

What is the short-term plan to help those shelters to deal with the capacity issues and the long-term plan actually to stem the flow of dogs in this country through the puppy farms?

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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On behalf of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, I thank Senator Boylan for raising what is a very important issue. I am delighted to have the opportunity to outline the work across government in this area, the commitments we have made in the programme for Government and how we are acting on them and what the different Departments are doing. The Senator has directed this question towards me and my Department today from an agricultural perspective, and I take that on board. As the Senator rightly outlined, there are a number of different areas of responsibility and I am happy to outline them.

I acknowledge the fantastic effort and commitment made by animal welfare organisations and the many volunteers dedicated to the care and welfare of canines, who often operate in challenging and stressful circumstances. Animal welfare charities play a crucial role in helping animals in need, educating people and raising public awareness around improving animal welfare. Those who work in the sector treat it as more than a career. They are passionate about this area and the Government recognises the huge work these key workers do. It is truly front-line care.

In relation to capacity issues, as the Senator has outlined, the Department of Rural and Community Development has policy responsibility for dog control and dog breeding establishments, while the local authorities are responsible for the operational activities. These include dog licensing, the dog warden service and the management and operation of local authority pounds or shelters. The Department of Rural and Community Development's 2021 dog control statistics, which are compiled from returns from all local authorities, indicate there are 34 local authority dog shelters or pounds. The Control of Dogs Act empowers the local authorities to enter into arrangements with any other local authority, with the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ISPCA, or with a person connected with animal welfare. The procurement of any service, therefore, in relation to local authority pounds is a matter for each local authority and the management, and operation of such pounds or shelters are matters solely for the relevant local authority.

Animal welfare is increasingly important to people in Ireland, and I consider it a priority for my Department. The Department's animal welfare grants programme is a clear acknowledgement of the vital work of animal welfare charities in delivering on the care and welfare of animals, including the neutering and rehoming of dogs. On Animal Welfare Awareness Day last December, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, announced record animal welfare grant funding of €3.7 million to 98 animal welfare organisations. Of this funding, €2.7 million was awarded to 68 organisations that deal with the welfare and rehoming of dogs.

The Department of Rural and Community Development statistics indicate that almost 2,000 dogs were transferred from the local authorities to dog welfare groups for rehoming in 2021. These figures are down from 2,500 in 2020. All of the figures in this area are showing a dramatic change and improvement. These statistics also demonstrate the success of the various neutering and microchipping programmes operated by these animal welfare charities. I acknowledge that, their ongoing work in this area and how we are working to support them in that.

The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, intends to deliver on the programme for Government commitment to further increase the funding allocated via the grants programme in 2022. He will announce details of these awards later this month. As with last year's awards, this year's funding will recognise the importance of education and dissemination of knowledge to improve animal welfare and, indeed, educating the public on the responsibilities involved with dog ownership.

Imparting knowledge on animal welfare and responsible pet ownership plays a crucial role in improving standards nationally and can help to reduce the number of dogs which are abandoned, surrendered or rehomed. That is ultimately the point. We will work, as will the Department of Rural and Community Development and the local authorities, to address any short-term pressures. The absolute approach, however, has to be reducing, and I am sure the Senator agrees with me on this. We have made huge progress in this area on better breeding techniques and education. We must drive home the message now at this time of year that a dog is for life and not just for Christmas. Everybody who is contemplating getting a family pet this Christmas should bear that in mind.

Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for outlining the valuable work the shelters do, because we know the pounds rely on them to move the dogs on that are not reclaimed in the pounds so that they are not euthanised. It is welcome that the figures for euthanasia have gone down year on year. That said, we have a particular issue this year because of the rush to buy dogs during Covid-19 and, post-Covid-19, those dogs now being surrendered. There is a need for a short-term emergency measure to engage with those shelters that do not have capacity.They are openly saying they cannot take more dogs. That is a concern because, while we are not excusing people surrendering their dogs, if they cannot do so they will find other ways to get rid of them. There is nothing to address that very short-term issue we have this year, particularly post Covid. I hope the Minister of State will take back to the Department that we are in a unique situation this year and it requires an emergency plan.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I will bring the points raised by the Senator directly back to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. The Commencement matter tabled by the Senator referred to capacity in the shelters and contingency plans. The broad approach the Government takes feeds into that. The programme for Government includes a commitment to promote responsible pet ownership. The Senator's point in respect of welfare is currently being advanced by the Department on various aspects relating to ownership. The Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-25: Working Together for Animal Welfare reflects the programme for Government commitment on responsible pet ownership and includes a commitment to establish an advisory council on companion animal welfare. I know the Senator is making a point in respect of an immediate issue, and I will bring that back, but it is important to recognise the broader points in the context of welfare because significant progress has been made in recent years. That can be seen from all the key statistics and we should acknowledge that. We will work with animal welfare groups and State agencies to address any issues there may be in the short term but we are heading in the right direction in the longer term and we will double down on that work in future.