Vol. 515 No. 6
212 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the plans, if any, he has to carry out a public awareness campaign for dog owners in order that the terms of the Litter Pollution Act, 1997, will be publicised with regard to the need for people to clean up after their dogs; the number of prosecutions which have been taken under the Act against owners whose dogs have been caught fouling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6922/00]
Under the Litter Pollution Act, 1997, primary responsibility for the development of management and enforcement responses to litter pollution rests with local authorities. It is a matter for local authorities to develop and implement education and awareness campaigns suitable to the circumstances of their individual areas.
Each year my Department allocates grants, amounting to £350,000 in 1999, to local authorities to co-fund selected public education and awareness initiatives on litter. A similar grant scheme will operate in 2000 and consideration will be given in this context to any proposals made by local authorities in relation to the responsibilities of dog owners under the legislation.
As regards prosecutions, the enforcement figures submitted to my Department every six months by local authorities refer to all prosecutions taken under the legislation and are not broken down according to specific offences. These overall figures are available in the Oireachtas Library.
