Godfrey Timmins
Ceist:81 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for the Environment if the Control of Dogs Act is being implemented as planned; the number of dogs in the State; and the number of these that are licensed.
Written Answers. - Control of Dogs (Amendment) Act.
Ivor Callely
Ceist:150 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for the Environment the total number of current dog licences; the estimated number of dogs in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 81 and 150 together.
Enforcement of the control of dogs legislation is a matter for the local authorities. When the working group which I set up last year to examine the possibility of introducing a national registration-identification scheme for dogs has reported, I will be considering regulations under the Control of Dogs (Amendment) Act, 1992 to enhance the capacity of local authorities to implement the legislation.
There is no reliable estimate available of the total dog population in this country. During 1992, the last year for which statistics are available, a total of 178,693 ordinary dog licences and 187 general dog licences were issued by local authorities.