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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 25 Mar 1987

Vol. 371 No. 3

Written Answers. - Fines for Wandering Horses.

17.

asked the Minister for Justice if he intends amending the law as it presently stands concerning the penalties imposed on owners of wandering horses, which cause a grave nuisance to residents in the areas affected and are a danger to road users.

As recently as 1985, the fines for allowing animals to wander on the public road were substantially increased. The Animals Act, 1985, increased the maximum fine from a nominal 10p, in existence since 1851, to £150 for a first such offence and to £350 for a subsequent offence. These fines also apply to the offence of turning animals loose on the road. The previous fine in this case was 50p.

The maximum fine for poundbreaking was increased from £50 to £750 in the 1985 Act and pound fees were increased in the Pounds Regulations, 1985, to a level that should closely correspond with the cost to the local authority of impounding animals. I am happy that the above fines are adequate and I have no plans at present to increase them.

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