Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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602. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the huge disparity in the percentage of dogs killed in various pounds (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24898/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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603. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the reason there is no standardisation between dog pounds; the reason there are no universal standards of operation, as some pounds will not re-home dogs on the restricted breed list; and the section of the Control of Dogs Act which permits this discrimination based on breed. [24899/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 602 and 603 together.

The operation of the Control of Dogs Act 1986 to 2010, including the establishment and maintenance of shelters for dogs seized, accepted or detained, the rehoming policy in respect of dogs not claimed by or on behalf of the owner and the destruction of dogs in a humane manner, are matters for each local authority and I have no function in the matter.

Section 11(7) of the Control of Dogs Act 1986 gives the local authority discretion, after 5 days, to dispose of or destroy in a humane manner stray dogs unclaimed by their owners. Section 12(1) gives the local authority discretion for the disposal or destruction in a humane manner for unwanted dogs accepted from their owners. Section 16(5), inserted by section 7 of the Control of Dogs (Amendment) Act 1992, provides for the disposal or destruction, after 5 days, of dogs seized by the local authority where the dog warden has reasonable grounds for believing an offence is being or has been committed. Section 18(4) provides that the local authority shall humanely destroy a dog by order of a Court. Section 22 provides for the humane destruction by Court order of dangerous dogs.

Other than provisions in relation to the disposal of dogs, enabling local authorities to arrange for such dogs to be sterilised and a prohibition on the disposal of dogs for the purposes of animal experimentation, there are no further requirements set out in the Control of Dogs Acts 1986 to 2010 in relation to the disposal or humane destruction of dogs.

By virtue of sections 31(1) and 11(12) of the Control of Dogs Act 1986, I may, by regulation, vary the number of days in the waiting period before the disposal or humane destruction of stray dogs. I have no powers in the Control of Dogs Acts 1986 to 2010 to make any other regulations relating to the disposal or destruction of dogs.