Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 493: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the role his Department will take in view of the continued incidence of cruelty to horses in urban areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6506/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The main statutes governing cruelty to animals in this country are the Protection of Animals Acts 1911 and 1965. Responsibility for pursuing complaints under that legislation rests with the Garda Síochána who may, on receipt of a complaint, investigate and bring a prosecution against any person alleged to have committed an act of cruelty against an animal. Officers of my Department are regularly involved in assisting the Garda in such cases.

The Control of Horses Act 1996 was sponsored by my Department to address the problem of wandering horses, mainly in urban areas. The Act assigns to local authorities the primary role for dealing with wandering horses and provides for the designation, by local authority by-laws, of control areas in which horses cannot be kept without a licence. My Department is empowered by the Act to make grants available to local authorities towards expenses they incur in implementing the Act, and such grants are paid on an ongoing basis.