Written answers
Thursday, 20 June 2024
Department of Rural and Community Development
Control of Dogs
Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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47. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development when the new stakeholder group on dog control will publish its recommendations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26379/24]
Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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49. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the efforts that are being made by her Department to ensure that local authorities are enforcing the legislation to collect fines under dog control regulations. [26448/24]
Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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50. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will strengthen the powers available to dog wardens under the Control of Dogs Act 1986. [26447/24]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 47, 49 and 50 together.
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the recent dog attacks and express my sincere sympathies to those families impacted by these attacks. I am very committed to improving outcomes in relation to Dog Control in Ireland and am working very hard to determine what can be done by Government to mitigate such attacks in the future. In this context, I have implemented the following measures recently
- I increased ‘on-the-spot’ fines for offences under the Control of Dogs Act, including trebling the fines for most serious offences from €100 to €300. Multiple fines can be issued where more than one offence occurs.
- I announced the establishment of a €2M fund under a new Dog Control Support Initiative. The funding comes as a direct response to increased pressures on dog control services and allows for tangible improvements to dog control services across the country.
- I launched a significant media campaign on Responsible Dog Ownership. My Department has also worked closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to publish a plain-language leaflet informing dog owners of their legal obligations. This leaflet has been widely distributed and is now available from every dog warden, local authority and veterinary surgery in the country in addition to over 100 animal welfare charities. It is also available in multiple languages online at Gov.ie/ResponsibleDogOwnership.
The group have been tasked with considering the policy and legislative matters under the remit of my Department, specifically the Dog Control Acts and the Dog Breeding Establishments Act. Considerations will include all relevant elements of the legislation, including enforcement and the powers currently assigned to Dog Wardens.
The work of the stakeholder group is complex in nature requiring full consideration of all aspects of both pieces of legislation under the remit of my Department and this will take some time. However, in view of recent events, I have asked the Chair to prioritise the issue of Restricted Dogs and this will be the first issue to be considered by the stakeholder group at its next meeting to be held next week. I expect the group to revert to me with recommendations on the matter as soon as possible once they have considered all issues arising.
Local Authorities have responsibility for all operational matters under the Control of Dogs Acts including licensing, enforcement and the issuing of fines. Local Authorities are also responsible for the recruitment of dog wardens. To support the important work of local authority dog wardens, my Department is part funding a national training programme for dog wardens to ensure consistency and a standardised approach to enforcement. This training commenced in April.
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