John McGuinness
Ceist:99 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the funding, if any, his Department gives to the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. [22249/98]
Written Answers. - DSPCA Funding.
While no specific schemes of financial assistance are operated by my Department, grant aid amounting to £380,000 has been paid to a number of animal-welfare bodies including a total of £200,000 paid to the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals since September 1995. As the payment of such aid is invariably an end-of-year exercise depending on the resources available out of the Department's Vote, I am not in a position to guarantee the continuation of such assistance. I will, however, consider any further requests for aid from the Society in the light of any resources available to me later in 1998 and having regard to any competing claims for grant assistance which may be submitted by other welfare bodies.