Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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132. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of dog attacks, per county, and the number and nature of the offences, for the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38322/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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From 1 June 2025, all policy and legislative responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts transferred to my Department from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG). However, local authorities have responsibility for all operational matters under the Acts, including enforcement.

Statistics in respect of a range of the dog control responsibilities of local authorities are published annually on Gov.ie. Information up to and including 2023, by county and in tabular form, is available on the dog control statistics page on gov.ie (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development-and-the-gaeltacht/collections/dog-control-statistics/).

The 2024 dog control statistics have been requested from all local authorities. Once checked and verified, they will be published on www.gov.ie.

The 2025 dog control statistics will not be available until next year.

The latest available statistics for the number of dog attacks are contained in the attached document.