Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
1853. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the action she will take to ensure an organisation (details supplied) will engage in stakeholder consultation in relation to the recently published interim report of the Working Group on the Control of Dogs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18051/23]
View answerIn late 2022, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine was tasked by the then Taoiseach, now Tánaiste Micheál Martin to lead a cross-government review of legislation regarding dogs. Minister Mc Conalogue and I held a meeting on Monday 9th January and we requested officials to convene a working group on the control of dogs’ issue. The terms of reference of the group are published on Gov.ie.
The working group examined issues related to dog control and made a number of recommendations for action. The report of the group has been published and is also available on Gov.ie.
Recommendation 14 of the Report proposes the establishment of a stakeholders group on control of dogs issues. This group, to be convened by my Department, with representation from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, will provide a forum for stakeholder organisations to express their views on issues and possible solutions related to dog control issues.
I hope to be in a position to provide further information on the terms of reference and membership of this stakeholder group in the coming weeks. Any relevant organisation interested in engaging in this process should contact DogControl@drcd.gov.ie in the first instance.
While Control of Dogs legislation is under the remit of my Department, my officials continue to work closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to co-ordinate efforts in the area of dog control and related issues across government, and look forward to engaging with stakeholders as we progress this important work.
