Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Animal welfare is a key priority for the Department and considerable resources and funding are provided to support animal welfare charities organisations involved in rescuing and rehoming animals through my Department's annual Animal Welfare Grant Programme. The organisation in question receives funding through this programme.

Animal welfare organisations are allocated funding on the basis of clear criteria, including the requirement for each organisation to be registered with the Charities' Regulator, and to submit up-to-date accounts which are examined by Department officials.

The applications process is robust and comprehensive. Applicants provide information on their activities, including reporting specific data and metrics requested as part of the process. Details in relation to the organisation's performance in the care, welfare and rehoming of animals for the previous year are required and taken into account as part of the assessment. As with all applicants, the organisation in question is also subject to veterinary inspections, which are carried out in the context of the grants application process. A further element of the Animal Welfare Grants assessment is the performance of applicant organisations in educating the public and raising awareness on the care and welfare of animals in line with the key principle outlined in the Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025 Working Together for Animal Welfare.