Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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129. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 396 of 26 April 2022, if he will provide a list of the stakeholders who have engaged with his Department on developing an appropriate regulatory framework for Dublin City Council to regulate and set standards for horse-drawn carriages; and the dates that meetings between his Department and those stakeholders took place. [22036/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The first correspondence between officials in my Department with Dublin City Council and with the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) in relation to the development of an appropriate regulatory framework for this area took place in December 2019, after a Memorandum on the matter had been submitted to Government in November of that year.

Work on this issue, unfortunately, was not able to progress subsequently as a result of the need to prioritise work in other areas due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The work recommenced in September 2021 when officials in my Department sent a copy of the draft General Scheme to Dublin City Council, Kerry County Council and the DSPCA for consultation. Due to the restrictions imposed by the public health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, all interactions with the stakeholders have been mainly through written communication and no face to face meetings have taken place.

Once the current process of stakeholder engagement has been satisfactorily completed, the Department will seek approval from Government for the detailed drafting of a Bill which is required before it can be introduced to the Oireachtas with a view to its eventual enactment.