Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 27 Nov 1997

Vol. 483 No. 5

Adjournment Debate. - Control of Horses Act.

Ms M. McGennis

The problem of roaming horses came to public notice in recent weeks with the serious traffic accident at the Chapelizod bypass in my constituency. Luckily there were no fatalities on that occasion, but the incident highlighted the serious problem of horses in urban and suburban Dublin. I acknowledge the legislation put in place by the previous Minister of State, Deputy Deenihan. When that legislation was introduced there was great expectation that it would solve the problem. I informed my constituents that it would mean an end to the difficulties experienced in housing estates in the Ballyfermot area, but that did not happen. There were delays in agreeing a tagging system and in implementing by-laws by local authorities. Despite the provision of £2 million to implement the legislation, there were little signs of its implementation. The problems of tagging and by-law implementation were, however, resolved prior to the accident on the Chapelizod bypass.

I extend my best wishes and those of the House to the worker — I am not aware if he is a corporation worker or a subcontractor — who was assaulted and badly beaten up by youths in the Finglas area when trying to do the job which I am requesting should be done. That highlights the need to implement the legislation in a sensitive way. The Minister recognises the need for a two-pronged approach to this problem. In my constituency he has supported the Cherry Orchard equine project by allocating £1.5 million. The community put forward a comprehensive package of proposals for a proper equine centre which would provide training and stables — it was not intended as a corral for horses. I thank the Minister on behalf of the community for recognising the merits of the proposals and agreeing to fund them. The community group is hopeful that work on the project will soon begin.

If all sections of the Act are implemented further problems will arise for this community. Since the equine centre may not be open before the legislation is implemented — the local community is genuinely interested in horses and wishes to avail of this service — perhaps the community will be allowed to register their horses and house them in a corral on the 11 acres provided by Dublin Corporation for the project. In that way the horses would not be confiscated before the project is put in place. I hope an interim solution will be found to the problem.

The Minister should monitor the position. I am concerned that whenever an incident occurs such as the accident on the Chapelizod bypass there will be a knee-jerk reaction. In regard to the problem experienced in Finglas, it is not the first time a local authority member has been assaulted when carrying out such work. The Minister should communicate with local authorities on the difficulties experienced in implementing the Act. If the position is not monitored there may be a piecemeal response to the matter. Last week horses were again seen roaming on the Lucan bypass and it appears there has been no great improvement in the position. The Minister should ensure local authorities receive additional finance in the first year of implementation of the Act if that is necessary. The efficiency of local authorities in implementing the Act must be monitored. Perhaps they have been dilatory and that is why there are still many horses roaming around Dublin city and county.

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

I thank Deputy McGennis for raising this important matter. This problem must be dealt with in two ways, by control and discipline and encouraging young people who have horses to learn the skills of horsemanship. I was very pleased on coming to office to assist the Cherry Orchard project. I pay tribute to the voluntary body involved and the local community on their work in this regard. Dublin Corporation was also very helpful with the project.

In many speeches in this House on education matters, I spoke about the importance of training people in skills for which they have an aptitude, and those young people have an aptitude for riding horses, sometimes with two or three people on the same horse. We have a tremendous skill nationally in horsemanship. For example, Kieran Fallon is a champion jockey in England and previously Pat Eddery, another Irishman, was champion jockey. Aidan McCoy, Adrian Maguire, Norman Williams and Charlie Swan are prominent in national hunt. Last Sunday in the US two young Dublin people came first in the world in golf while in Japan Michael Kinnane, an Irish jockey, won the Japan Cup, the richest race in the world. Young people who own horses can become international horsemen and do a tremendous job for themselves, their families and the country. I will do everything possible to ensure they are encouraged to improve their skills in that area.

The Control of Horses Act, 1996, which was brought into operation on 18 March 1997 provides for the designation, by local authority by-laws, of control areas in which horses cannot be kept without licences — Dublin Corporation and South Dublin County Council have introduced by-laws under this Act. The Act also contains provisions on the licensing procedure and the identification of horses, a ban on the sale of horses to minors, the seizure and detention of stray horses, the confiscation of horses which stray repeatedly, the disposal of horses seized by local authorities, the maintenance of registers of horses licensed and seized, and criminal liability for permitting or causing a horse to pose a danger to persons or property.

The Control of Horses Regulations, 1997, were introduced on 24 April 1997 for the necessary purpose of prescribing the licence fee of £25, the format of the licence and of a fine/on-the-spot notice and horse identification. It is a matter for local authorities to administer such aspects. The making of these regulations completed the legislative framework necessary to enable local authorities to implement the Act. Electronic microchips have since been prescribed as the means to be used to identify horses coming within the scope of the Act. It was necessary that the Minister approve suppliers of such devices. Two such suppliers were approved in September 1997 and local authorities were informed on 24 September 1997. In so far as my Department is concerned, there should be no confusion on the question of the electronic identification of horses.

Provision has been made in the Department's Estimates for 1997 to pay grants to local authorities to assist in implementing the Act. Further provision has been made in the 1998 Estimates. The Department advised local authorities of the specific criteria which would be applied in its consideration of grant allocations and formal applications for assistance totalling almost £1 million have been received from local authorities. The Department is in the process of examining these applications. An amount was recently paid to one local authority and arrangements are being made to make payments to others.

My Department carried out a survey of the wandering horses problem in January 1997 and ascertained that there were some 4,000 wandering horses in the country. Of the 4,000, some 3,000 are in the Dublin area and are a serious problem. As the survey indicated, the two Dublin local authorities experiencing the most acute problems with wandering horses are Dublin Corporation and South Dublin County Council. At my request, officials of the Department met the four Dublin authorities on 18 November and held discussions on the full implementation of the Act. My Department will continue to seek to have the regulations implemented as quickly, efficiently and as comprehensively as possible.

Implementation of the legislation and effective tackling of the problem of wandering horses is a matter for local authorities. I have made it clear that I want the problem tackled as soon as possible and I will continue to encourage the young people concerned to make a career of what is now a problem.