Control of Dogs

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 October 2018

Tuesday, 16 October 2018

Questions (523)

Bríd Smith

Question:

523. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 959 of 7 September 2018, if he will expand on the term "available evidence" which he stated in his reply indicates a very high level of compliance with the microchip legislation; if his attention has been drawn to the feedback from rescue groups that there is an extremely low level of compliance with microchipping legislation; and if he will clarify the source and the extent of the available evidence. [41897/18]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The evidence on compliance I have cited has been based on total numbers of dogs registered with databases as provided by Europetnet as compared to estimates of the total dog population for the country.

The dogs which the various animal welfare charities are encountering are in many ways atypical in that they are unwanted or have been abandoned by irresponsible owners. For both these reasons they are less likely than the canine population as a whole to have been microchipped. In any case as part of the ex gratia funding arrangements in place for animal welfare organisations in recent years, additional funds have been made available to assist in the microchipping of dogs. Furthermore, special provision was made so that appropriate members of staff of the animal welfare charities who have obtained the necessary training may chip and register dogs in order to cut down on cost.