Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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188. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the stakeholder consultation process has been completed in relation to the horse-drawn carriages Bill; and when this Bill will be brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas. [25931/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Regulations for horse-drawn carriages for hire or reward should be aligned with any horse welfare obligations imposed by local authorities and, therefore, horse-drawn carriages for hire and reward should be regulated by local authorities, which is the intention of the current draft primary legislation. The Department had planned to undertake stakeholder consultations in Q1 2023, however this has now been deferred until later this year.

The development of legislation of this nature involving the repeal of legislation which predates the foundation of the State, is complex and technical and the issue spans the responsibilities of several Departments and levels of government and so I am unable to provide a definitive timeline for the completion of this work.

Once the process of stakeholder engagement has been satisfactorily completed, I will seek Government approval for the detailed drafting of a Horse-Drawn Carriages Bill. This is required before it can be introduced to the Oireachtas with a view to its eventual enactment.