801. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the merits of providing multiannual funding for animal welfare organisations to allow for greater long-term planning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37039/26]
Topics / Animal Welfare
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsAnimal Welfare
386 questions from 67 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
386
questions
382 written, 4 oral
67
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
8
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 1 |
| February 2025 | 8 |
| March 2025 | 15 |
| April 2025 | 34 |
| May 2025 | 4 |
| June 2025 | 8 |
| July 2025 | 12 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 18 |
| October 2025 | 22 |
| November 2025 | 35 |
| December 2025 | 4 |
| January 2026 | 12 |
| February 2026 | 42 |
| March 2026 | 17 |
| April 2026 | 47 |
| May 2026 | 41 |
| June 2026 | 19 |
| July 2026 | 7 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 13 |
| October 2026 | 27 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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49
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37
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34
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24
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22
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17
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15
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14
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
802. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the proposals from an animal welfare organisation (details supplied); specifically in relation to the creation of a centralised database for anyone breeding, selling, or transferring the ownership of a puppy, or litter of puppies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37040/26]
803. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the proposals from an animal welfare organisation (details supplied); specifically in relation to the creation of a standalone junior ministry within his Department that would be responsible for animal welfare for domestic pets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37041/26]
804. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the proposals from an animal welfare organisation (details supplied), specifically in relation to the creation of a centralised database for all dogs in Ireland to allow for traceability of dogs with tracking from puppyhood all the way through a dog's life; and if he will make a statement on the matter. […
810. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of non-coursing greyhounds placed in foster care centres/care homes under a programme (details supplied) from 1 January to 31 March for each of the years 2022 to 2025 and to date in-2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37248/26]
811. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm the total number of greyhounds homed by a centre (details supplied). [37249/26]
85. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he is satisfied that the current regulatory and inspection regime is sufficient to prevent poor welfare standards and illegal puppy farming practices in dog breeding establishments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36171/26]
91. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the upcoming report and recommendations of the high-level dog control stakeholder group, particularly in relation to upholding animal health and welfare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35779/26]
108. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the interagency arrangements in place between his Department, An Garda Síochána and local authorities to respond to serious animal welfare complaints; his views on whether current levels of enforcement are sufficient to tackle the problem of animal cruelty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34336/26]
109. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps his Department has taken to ensure the mistreatment of animals, in particular horses, is being reduced and nullified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35775/26]
122. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason there are only 33 officers authorised to investigate animal cruelty in Cork. [35673/26]
129. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of animal welfare prosecutions taken by his Department in the past four years; the nature of each prosecution per category including fines and imprisonment and so on; whether he is satisfied that penalties under current legislation provide a sufficient deterrent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34335/26]
134. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the sanctions his Department has in place for anyone who is found to be mistreating or abusing animals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35776/26]
852. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the measures currently in place between An Garda Síochána, local authorities and animal welfare agencies to address illegal sulky racing on public places and roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35142/26]
871. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress that has been made to date regarding the submission from an organisation to curb dog attacks on sheep and lambs (details supplied); his views that more is required than just advising dog owners to be more responsible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34225/26]
872. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans for Sulky racing (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34234/26]
893. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is considering strengthening the legislation and enforcement mechanisms relating to equine ownership and animal welfare, in light of ongoing concerns regarding horses being kept by persons without the proper facilities, resources or capacity to care for them adequately; the measures currently in place to prevent neglect and aband…
897. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department maintains statistics on horse injuries, collapses or fatalities linked to sulky racing, including unofficial road racing events; if he will provide a breakdown by county for the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35141/26]
898. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether consideration has been given to introducing specific welfare standards governing the training and use of horses in sulky racing activities, including veterinary inspections, equipment standards and fitness-to-race requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35143/26]
907. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has examined the recommendations contained within the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 2026 to 2030 strategy regarding animal welfare reform; whether legislative or policy changes are under consideration arising from the strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35268/26]
908. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current number of authorised animal welfare inspectors operating nationally; whether consideration is being given to increasing resources for animal welfare enforcement in view of ongoing reports of animal cruelty and neglect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35269/26]
909. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions being taken to strengthen penalties and enforcement measures under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 for persons convicted of serious animal cruelty offences; whether consideration is being given to mandatory lifetime bans on animal ownership in the most serious cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35…
411. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of animal welfare complaints received by his Department, the number investigated, the number resulting in enforcement action, the number resulting in seizure of animals, and the number resulting in prosecution, by year from 2014 to 2025,; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33638/26]
412. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department maintains a central database of animal welfare complaints, inspections, enforcement actions, animal seizures, prosecutions and outcomes under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013; and if he will outline the data fields recorded. [33639/26]
413. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether a formal memorandum of understanding, protocol, guidance document, or operational agreement exists between his Department, An Garda Síochána, Local Authorities, Customs, and animal welfare organisations in relation to suspected animal cruelty or neglect cases; and if he will publish or summarise same. [33640/26]