Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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85. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the stakeholders who have been consulted as part of the Control of Dogs Act working group; when he will be publishing and acting on the recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18560/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Rural and Community Development, which has policy responsibility in relation to the Control of Dogs Act, carried out a public consultation on the subject of dog control in 2021. The results have been published on that Department’s website.

Farm organisations and other stakeholders have also outlined its policy concerns on the subject of dog control and sheep worrying. These policy reports were considered by the working group on dog control who submitted a report for consideration by Minister Humphreys and me last month.

This report was approved at cabinet on Tuesday 28^thMarch and is published at gov.ie - Working Group on Control of Dogs (www.gov.ie).

There are 15 recommendations, one of which, Recommendation 14, proposes the establishment of a stakeholder group on control of dogs issues. This group, to be convened by the Department of Rural and Community Development, with representation from my Department, will provide a regular forum for stakeholder organisations to express their views on issues and possible solutions in relation to dog control issues.

This group will facilitate regular interaction between the relevant government departments and agencies and these stakeholders, enabling a range of stakeholder views to be heard in a systematic way. It is proposed that this group would meet twice per year under an independent chair, reporting back to the Ministers.

I understand that the Department of Rural and Community Development hopes to be in a position to provide further information on the terms of reference and membership of this stakeholder group in the coming weeks.

There is a clear commitment from both Minister Humphreys and I to tackle this issue and ensure that the law is as robust as possible to ensure that both people and animals are safe.

Our dogs are more than pets, they are our companions and loyal friends. However, the harrowing scenes we have witnessed recently show the threat dogs can pose if they are not properly controlled by their owners. Both Minister Humphreys and I will work proactively on this in the time ahead.