Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 February 2023
438. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of dog wardens employed by local authorities in each of the years since 2018, by local authority, in tabular form. [5527/23]
View answer439. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of fines issued under the Control of Dogs Act 1986 in each of the years since 2018, by local authority, in tabular form. [5528/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 438 and 439 together.
My Department publishes annual statistics in respect of a range of the dog control responsibilities of local authorities. Information up to and including 2021, by county and in tabular form, is available on the dog control statistics page on gov.ie. The 2022 dog control statistics are currently being collated and when checked and verified will be published on gov.ie.
Page 1 of the 2021 dog control statistics indicates, by county and in tabular form, that there were 50 full-time dog wardens and 21 part-time dog wardens in 2021, equating to 59.55 full-time equivalent posts. While Section 15(1) of the Control of Dogs Act 1986 states that every local authority must employ at least one dog warden, it is a matter for each local authority to determine if more than one dog warden is required to carry out the necessary functions of the dog warden service in their local authority area.
The statistics also indicate that 1,654 on-the-spot fines were issued in 2018, 1,749 in 2019, 1,069 in 2020 and 924 in 2021. In addition, 176 prosecutions were taken by local authorities in 2018, 182 in 2019, 82 in 2020 and 97 in 2021. These fines and prosecutions cover all aspects of the Control of Dogs Acts. While the number of prosecutions in 2020 and 2021 were down on previous years at 82 and 97 respectively, it is accepted that the impact of Covid-19 and Level 5 lockdowns had an effect on the enforcement regime of local authorities.
