Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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2670.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if her attention has been drawn to the policy of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to euthanise healthy dogs that are surrendered and are on the restricted breed list and to refuse to re-home or to send them to another rescue organisation; and the details of the powers the local authority has to take such actions. [31760/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Rehoming dogs which are on the restricted breeds list can be very challenging and it is important that public safety is the number one priority at all times.

Section 16 of the Control of Dogs Act, 1986, as amended, which sets out the powers of the dog warden to seize a stray or accept a surrendered dog, also permits the destruction of the dog by a local authority.

Any queries regarding an individual local authority should be addressed to that local authority directly.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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2671.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if additional funding will be ringfenced in Budget 2025 to assist local authorities with dog control and enforcement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31819/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Rural and Community Development has overall policy responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts 1986 to 2014. Local Authorities have responsibility for all operational matters under the Control of Dogs Acts including enforcement matters.

Government established a working group in early 2023 to examine the current issues surrounding dog control and to make recommendations for improvements in the field. The report of the working group is available on Gov.ie. One of the recommendations of the report relates to the need for additional Dog Wardens. My Department is consulting with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Local Authorities on the implementation of this recommendation.

I am pleased to advise that I have made significant progress in the implementation of the actions assigned to my Department in the working group report.

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.

In addition, I recently announced €2 million in capital funding to local authorities to expand and improve their pounds and warden facilities. This funding is in addition to €2 million I announced for dog warden facilities in November last year (2023). This funding comes as a direct response to increased pressures on dog control services and will make immediate and tangible improvements to the dog control service across the country.

My Department is also supporting a national training programme for dog wardens to ensure consistency and a standardised approach to enforcement. This training commenced in April.

While the exact funding allocations will be decided as part of the annual budgetary process, I hope to secure continued funding for Dog Control programmes which will be considered in the context of my Department's discussions on the estimates for 2025.

I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues across Government to improve outcomes in relation to Dog Control in Ireland.