Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 November 2013
138. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will publish the number and size of dog breeding establishments that have registered in 2010, 2011 and 2012 by county under the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2010. [50881/13]
View answer139. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has reviewed the enforcement of welfare standards in each county since the implementation of the Dog Breeding Establishment Bill 2010. [50892/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 139 together.
It is the responsibility of each local authority to maintain the register of dog breeding establishments in their functional area. However, some data concerning the dog control functions of local authorities are available on my Department’s website at http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/StatisticsandRegularPublications/DogControl/. This includes, inter alia, information on the number of dog breeding establishments registered by each local authority in 2012. The Dog Breeding Establishments Act, 2010 came into operation on 1 January 2012, so there were no registrations in 2010 or 2011. The information published by my Department does not include the size of the establishments, but this information can be examined in the registers which are available for inspection at each local authority.
Welfare standards regarding dog breeding establishments have been provided for through the guidelines issued when I commenced the Act. Each local authority is responsible for the monitoring of these standards with regard to the registration of such establishments .
More generally, the enforcement of welfare standards regarding all animals is a matter for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the local authorities and one in which my Department has no direct role.
