I thank the Minister for coming into the House at this late hour to address this issue. I have not yet had an opportunity to congratulate him on his appointment as Minister for Agriculture. I am sure he is delighted that the geography of my constituency does not require me to raise items pertaining to his Department. I wish him well.
The issue I wish to highlight is the financial crisis in the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The DSPCA is a registered charity, established in 1840, which is part and parcel of the fabric of Dublin. Dubliners all over the city are familiar with the work of the DSPCA over the past century and a half. The society now faces a financial crisis and is appealing to the Government, through me and others, particularly Dublin Deputies, for support in the form of an annual subvention. Such funding would bring this wonderful society into the next century and beyond.
I am sure the Minister is aware of the vital services the society provides in terms of animal care in this city, among which is an animal ambulance service. There is an increasing incidence in the city of people mistreating animals; in my own constituency, dogs fight other dogs while 30 men look on and place bets. Sick animals who suffer ongoing cruelty must be looked after and it is the DSPCA to which people turn for advice. Last year the DSPCA looked after 286 lame and injured wild horses. Those horses could have caused untold damage on the city's roads.
The society deals with more than 100 calls a day from the public with people simply wanting to know how animals should be treated. At Christmas time every year animals are bought for children but these are subsequently discarded after a period. The DSPCA intervenes to protect and provide shelter for those animals.
The organisation is undergoing rapid increases in expenditure. In 1994 its expenditure stood at £266,000; in 1995 it was £259,000 and in 1996 there was a massive increase to £298,000. The society spent almost £300,000 last year protecting the animals of this city. It cannot meet that kind of expenditure and that is why it is seeking a subvention from the Government. I am aware the Government did provide a once off grant of £50,000 to the society last year. That is not enough; we need to put this funding on a statutory basis if possible.
If this charitable organisation goes to the wall, which it inevitably will if the Government does not take action, the State will have to intervene to establish a new service to protect the city's animals. Additional costs will be incurred unless funding is provided for the DSPCA. The DSPCA will close very soon unless it gets a cash injection from the Government. The society is already considering voluntary redundancies and much of the on-line services it provides will cease to be provided. I appeal to the Minister to consider this organisation. In a booming economy, it is time we put some resources into this area.
