Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

938. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he intends to include the requirement for a tax clearance certificate for the issuance of a dog breeders licence in the proposed new Control of Dogs and Dog Breeding Establishments (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 and improve the overall regulation of this business to benefit overall public safety and the welfare of dogs. [25566/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department has overall policy responsibility for the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010. The Act provides a robust regulatory framework for the licensing, monitoring and inspection of dog breeding establishments by local authorities and, where a serious and immediate threat exists to public health or animal health and welfare, for the closure of such establishments.

The day to day regulation of dog breeding establishments to ensure compliance with the Act is a matter for local authorities. Following a public consultation, revised guidelines for dog breeding establishments were published in July 2018 and came into effect on 1 January 2019. There is a substantial shift in the guidelines towards a focus on the welfare of dogs and pups. Each local authority is responsible for the monitoring of these standards with regard to the registration of such establishments.

Updates to the existing legislation are required and it is proposed that amendments will be made through a Control of Dogs and Dog Breeding Establishments (Miscellaneous) Bill.

The Dog Control Stakeholder Group established by my Department in 2024 have been tasked with considering the policy and legislative matters currently under the remit of my Department, specifically the Dog Control Acts and the Dog Breeding Establishments Act. The stakeholder group meet regularly and the work of the group is wide ranging and complex in nature. The group's remit includes considering the need for legislative change. This requires in depth analysis and consultation to ensure amendments are not just robust, fit for purpose and implementable but that they also deliver the best outcomes for communities and for dogs themselves. This work will take some time. However, I have no objection in principle to any measure, including the requirement for tax clearance, that may improve the overall regulation of the dog breeding sector and support public safety and the welfare of dogs.

The Programme for Government sets out how the Government intends to provide for an enhanced approach to dog control issues. In this regard, all legislation and policy in relation to the Control of Dogs, Dog Welfare and Dog Breeding Establishments will rest with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Discussions are currently ongoing between my Department and that Department to implement this Transfer of Functions in a timely manner.

In the meantime, I am fully committed to progressing the work in this area.