Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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392. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of full-time and part-time dog wardens in each local authority area in the past ten years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4688/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Rural and Community Development was established in 2017 and has overall policy responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts 1986 to 2014. This legislation makes provision for dog licensing arrangements and the functions of dog wardens. Local Authorities have responsibility for all operational matters under the Control of Dogs Acts.

Section 15(1) of the Control of Dogs Act 1986 states that every local authority must employ at least one dog warden, it is a matter for each local authority to determine if more than one dog warden is required to carry out the necessary functions of the dog warden service in their local authority area.

My Department publishes annual statistics in respect of a range of the dog control responsibilities of local authorities. Information up to and including 2022, by county and in tabular form, is available on the dog control statistics page on gov.ie. (www.gov.ie/en/collection/879d4c-dog-control-statistics/) The 2023 dog control statistics will be published on gov.ie once available.