Vol. 474 No. 6
76 Mr. Flood asked the Minister for Finance if he will have arrangements made to have animal welfare admitted as a category for receipt of funding under the national lottery as requested by the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and in view of the passing of control of horses legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4022/97]
78 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for Finance if he will approve the inclusion of animal welfare as a category for receipt of funding from the national lottery; and if he will request the Review Group on the national lottery to respond accordingly. [3635/97]
84 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Finance if he intends to include animal welfare as a category for national lottery funding. [3744/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 76,78 and 84 together.
Under the National Lottery Act, 1986 the Government may designate additional purposes for which national lottery funds may be allocated. As the Deputy will appreciate, demands for lottery funding greatly exceed the resources available. I have no plans at present to propose that additional beneficiary categories be designated. However, I am arranging that the representations made by the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will be brought to the attention of the National Lottery review group.
I would also draw the attention of the Deputy to the reply by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry on 29 January 1997 to a Parliamentary Question regarding assistance by his Department to animal welfare groups. The following is the reply:
The operation of the Control of Horses Act, 1996 is a matter for the local authorities. In December 1996 I made grants of £50,000 each to the Blue Cross Animal Welfare Society and the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA). I also made a grant of £50,000 to the DSPCA in September 1995. These grants will enable both organisations to continue the important work which they undertake in relation to the welfare and care of animals. The grants to DSPCA recognise the value of the service it provides in the Dublin area, often in difficult circumstances, while the grant to the Blue Cross marks the centenary of the organisation which was established in England in 1897.
The operation of the Control of Horses Act, 1996 is a matter for the local authorities.
