Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In late 2022, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) commenced a cross-government review of legislation regarding dogs. Minister Mc Conalogue and I held a meeting in early January and asked officials to convene a working group on the issue. The working group comprised a range of stakeholders including representatives of Local Authority Vets, Dog Wardens, the CCMA and An Garda Síochana.

The working group examined issues related to dog control and made a number of recommendations for action. In addition to input from the working group participants, the work of the group was also informed by a previous review undertaken by my Department in relation to dog control legislation. That review concerned measures relating to specific breeds and also dogs in general, both in urban and rural settings and involved a public consultation process to which over 1,000 responses were received. The report of the working group was approved by Government and is available on Gov.ie.

Recommendation 14 of the working group report proposes the establishment of a stakeholders group on control of dogs issues. This group will be convened by my Department, with representation from DAFM and will provide a forum for stakeholder organisations to express their views on issues and possible solutions related to dog control issues.

I hope to provide further information on the terms of reference and membership of this stakeholder group in the coming weeks.

My officials will continue to work closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to co-ordinate efforts in the area of dog control and related issues across government, and I look forward to engaging with stakeholders as we progress this important work.