Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 11 Dec 2002

Vol. 559 No. 2

Written Answers. - Animal Welfare.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

113 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the Government policy regarding the growing problem of feral cats; and the amount of funding the Government plans to give to organisations such as the Cat Protection Society to assist in the work of dealing with this problem. [26010/02]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

My Department does not operate any specific schemes of financial assistance for animal welfare bodies. In recent years, however, I have made ex gratia funding available to a number of appropriate bodies involved in the delivery of animal care and welfare services throughout the country, having regard to resources available to me from within the Department's Vote at end-year. In December 2001, grants totalling €650,741, £512,500, were awarded to 52 organisations to assist them in their activities. The organisations concerned had approached the Department seeking assistance.

Details of the grant payments are as follows:

Organisation	Amount €
Assisi Animal Rescue Centre	6,348
Clare SPCA	10,792
Clonakilty Donkey Home	10,792
Cork SPCA	9,523
Collon Animal Sanctuary	15,871
Delia Burt	6,348
Dog Rescue	6,348
Dogs Aid	8,888
Dublin SPCA	38,092
Dungarvan SPCA	8,888
Friends of Animal Rescue	8,888
Galway SPCA	15,871
Hillview Animal Sanctuary	8,888
ISPCA	25,394
Kerry SPCA	6,348

Organisation	Amount €
Kildare Animal Foundation	36,187
Kildare SPCA	17,141
*Kingdom Cats Protection	7,618
Laois SPCA	8,888
Leitrim Animal Welfare	10,792
Limerick Animal Welfare	10,792
Limerick SPCA	6,348
Longford SPCA	8,888
Louth SPCA	8,888
Mayo Animal Sanctuary	10,792
Mayo Animal Welfare	8,888
Meath SPCA	15,871
Monaghan SPCA	6,348
North County Dublin SPCA	6,348
*North West Cat Rescue	10,792
Offaly SPCA	6,348
PAWS Animal Rescue	19,046
Peter & Janice Simcox	6,348
Petwatch Co.	10,792
Roscommon SPCA	8,888
Roscrea SPCA	8,888
Rose Cottage Animal Sanctuary	8,888
Sligo SPCA	8,888
The Animal Care Society	6,348
The Animal Rescue Centre	6,348
The Ann Vousden Foundation Puppy Rescue Centre	15,871
The Blue Cross	44,440
*The Cats Protection Association of Ireland	10,792
The Donkey Sanctuary	44,440
Tipperary Friends of Animals	6,348
Tipperary SPCA	10,792
Waterford SPCA	8,888
West Cork Animal Welfare Group	10,792
Westmeath SPCA	8,888
Westown Animal Shelter	8,888
Wexford SPCA	8,888
Wicklow SPCA	19,046
Total	650,741

An asterisk denotes those that deal specifically with cats, while many of the other bodies listed deal with welfare issues involving cats as part of their general activities. The grants given to animal welfare bodies in 2001 bring to €2.415 million the assistance given by my Department to animal welfare bodies throughout the country since 1995.

As indicated, a grant of €10,792 was paid to The Cat Protection Association of Ireland in December 2001. As the payment of such aid is invariably an end-of-year exercise dependent on the resources available out of my Department's Vote, any disbursements are entirely contingent on funds being available at year-end for this purpose. I will consider requests for aid in respect of this year from cat protection organisations in the light of any resources that may become available and having regard to any competing claims for grant assistance which may be submitted by other welfare bodies, many of whom deal with various categories of animals, including cats.

A formal statutory framework for cat control is already provided for under the Control of Dogs Act, 1986, which is administered by the Department of the Environment and Local Government. That Act provides for the introduction of regulations in relation to cats.