Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 April 2019
250. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will meet with groups as originally committed to in order to discuss concerns about legislation and the licensing system appertaining to horse drawn carriages in Dublin city further to correspondence (details supplied). [18310/19]
View answerMy Department does not deal with the regulatory framework for horse-drawn carriages, but rather the matter is dealt with under the Local Government Act 2001, which provides local authorities with the power to develop by-laws to govern licensing arrangements for horse-drawn carriages operating commercially in their areas. As the Deputy will understand, Local Government legislation comes within the ambit of my colleague the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, and matters relevant to animal welfare, fall within the ambit of my colleague the Minister for Agriculture and Food.
I would encourage that any groups wishing to make representations about the licensing system for horse-drawn carriages or its enforcement, should engage with the relevant local authorities who are responsible for the design and operation of those arrangements.
I remain of the view that this matter is best managed at local government level. Nonetheless, I have asked my Department to meet Dublin City Council and An Garda Síochána to discuss the area.
