Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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160. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of several recent high profile instances in which horses have been badly neglected, injured or killed in Dublin, his plans to increase the funding available to animal welfare organisations such that a regular and comprehensive welfare inspection regime can be undertaken by those organisations in respect of all horses. [8235/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Incidents of horse cruelty are totally unacceptable and the Animal Health & Welfare Act 2013 provides for very significant penalties relating to animal cruelty. Under the Act, on summary conviction, a person can receive a fine of up to €5,000. For major cases taken on indictment, the maximum penalty is €250,000 and/or imprisonment up to 5 years.

In addition, substantial funding is provided by my Department to animal welfare organisations to assist their work in protecting the welfare of all animals, including horses. In December last, an amount of €2,541 ,000 was provided to 140 such organisations to assist their work in protecting animal welfare and in educating the public on best animal welfare practice and to enable them provide facilities for at-risk animals. €290,000 was provided to the DSPCA to assist its work in urban areas of Dublin city and county and a service agreement has been agreed between my Department and the DSPCA under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 empowering DSPCA Inspectors to intervene in situations of horse neglect and cruelty in urban areas and to initiate prosecutions against persons found to be committing an offence of animal cruelty under the Act.