Gay Mitchell
Question:311 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will waive the dog licence fee in the case of old age pensioners who keep dogs for company (details supplied). [15316/99]
Vol. 506 No. 2
311 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will waive the dog licence fee in the case of old age pensioners who keep dogs for company (details supplied). [15316/99]
The question of introducing a scheme whereby elderly persons could obtain a dog licence at a reduced rate has been examined.
While it is recognised that a dog can provide both a sense of security and companionship to many elderly people, it would unfortunately not be feasible to introduce such a scheme without incurring substantial administrative costs and a loss of revenue to the local authorities, who rely on the revenue from the sale of dog licences to finance their dog control activities. At a practical level also, such a scheme would give rise to difficulties for local authorities in attempting to establish the true ownership of a dog which was covered by a reduced fee licence but which was being kept by person who was not eligible for such a licence.