With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 to 27 together.
The detailed investigation of the "City of Waterford" incident, which has been conducted by my Department with the assistance of Nautical Surveyors of the Department of Transport and Power, has now been completed, and the findings will be issued within a week. If the investigation shows that any further improvements are desirable in the regulations governing the shipment of horses, they will be made.
The official investigation which has just been concluded was an independent inquiry on behalf of the Government into an incident that occurred on a ship owned by a private commercial company.
The Diseases of Animals Acts are the statutory authority for regulations concerning the transport of horses. The maximum penalty provided for offences under the Acts is £100.
As regards the setting up of a commission of inquiry, as suggested in Question No. 25, the points mentioned at (a) and (b) of that question were covered by previous inquiries. As to (c) of that Question, it has already been made clear that the issue is not the economic value of the export of live horses but the principle that, subject to proper safeguards such as already exist in our case, it is legitimate to carry livestock by sea. As regards (d), the Government have already intimated that it is their policy to encourage and facilitate the slaughter of horses in this country, by competent firms, for export as dead meat.
I may add that I would welcome a proposal for an inter-governmental investigation by an appropriate international organisation of the conditions under which horses are transported by road, rail, sea and internal waterways in all countries. I know that an investigation of this kind would disclose that few countries take such satisfactory precautions in this regard as Ireland, and the Government have no hesitation in saying now that they would accede to any international convention that might result from it.
With regard to Question No. 27, I have seen a newspaper report of a statement alleged to have been made by an Irish veterinary surgeon who, so far as I can ascertain, did not examine the horses prior to shipment. I have complete confidence in the integrity, competence and independence of judgment of the veterinary staff of my Department, whose duty it is to inspect all horses presented for shipment.