Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 435: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of animals put down by the local authorities to date in 2005; the initiatives he intends to introduce to change attitudes and to encourage owners to neuter and microchip their dogs, regulate and limit breeding and introduce two dog licences (details supplied); his plans for possible pilot initiatives to tackle the number of unwanted animals, working in partnership with local animal welfare organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39703/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Control of Dogs Acts 1986 and 1992 place statutory responsibility for dog control and licensing services on local authorities. The implementation of the Acts is vested in local authorities, which have power to appoint dog wardens, provide shelters for stray and other dogs, impose on-the-spot fines for a number of offences and take prosecutions. Local authorities may also make by-laws in regard to the control of dogs within their functional areas.

The Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 require the owner or other person in charge of a dog to ensure the dog at all times wears a collar bearing the name and address of the owner on an attached plate, badge or disc. The regulations contain penalties for non-compliance with this requirement or for defacing or rendering illegible the above particulars. These arrangements followed consideration of all practicable options for ensuring identification of dogs, including that of micro-chipping, and are being kept under review.

While there is no specific programme for the neutering and spaying of dogs, my Department has provided funding in recent years to the Irish Blue Cross, a volunteer-operated charity, for its subsidised neutering programme for dogs of needy pet owners. I have no plans to introduce a larger fee for licences for un-neutered dogs.

Information regarding the number of animals put down in 2005 is not yet available in my Department. Local authorities will be requested to provide these figures in early January 2006. The number of dogs destroyed has decreased from 27,848 in 1997 to 16,598 in 2004. The number of stray dogs rehomed has increased from 4,681 in 1998 to 7,939 in 2004.