414. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether the 226 successful prosecutions under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 since March 2014 are recorded by offence type, animal type, county, prosecuting authority, penalty imposed, and whether animals were seized; and if he will provide a breakdown. [33641/26]
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
415. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has assessed the adequacy of current enforcement resources for animal welfare investigations, including authorised officers, veterinary support, inspection capacity and legal follow-through; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33642/26]
416. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether the new animal welfare strategy due in Q2 2026 will include measurable targets for complaint handling, investigation timelines, seizure action, prosecution rates, data publication, and inter-agency cooperation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33643/26]
699. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the governance and oversight arrangements in place between his Department, An Garda Síochána, and other relevant Departments in relation to the recording, monitoring, classification, and enforcement of alleged animal cruelty offences, and whether any single Department or body holds overall responsibility for ensuring consistency in how su…
700. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether the absence of centrally collated data on alleged animal cruelty offences is a matter of policy design, and whether any consideration has been given to introducing standardised national reporting mechanisms to support policy development in this area. [33288/26]
701. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he can confirm which single body or Department has overall policy responsibility for ensuring consistency in the recording, classification, and monitoring of alleged animal cruelty offences across the State, and if no single body holds such responsibility, whether Government considers this a governance gap in the current system; a…
726. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review correspondence (details supplied); the plans in place to introduce legislation to regulate the use of animal-drawn vehicles on public roads; if he will indicate whether any such measures would include a complete ban on sulky racing on public roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33064/26]
381. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department agrees on the need to legislate for a cap on the number of dogs a breeder can own and breed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31528/26]
382. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department agrees that action is urgently needed to improve and safeguard the welfare of dogs in dog breeding establishments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31529/26]
393. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of prosecutions for horse welfare offences from 2020 to 2025 and to date in 2026. [31793/26]
813. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No. 474 of 12 February 2026, the number of investigations commenced in respect of the reported animal cruelty incidents recorded from Quarter 3 of 2024 to Quarter 4 of 2025; and for a breakdown of those incidents by status, including ongoing investigation, investigation concluded without prosecution, a…
814. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of files relating to alleged animal cruelty incidents recorded from Quarter 3 of 2024 to Quarter 4 of 2025 that have been submitted by An Garda Síochána to the Director of Public Prosecutions; and if he will provide the number submitted in each quarter concerned. [29818/26]
815. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to the confirmation that 23 proceedings by way of charge or summons had been initiated in association with the relevant incidents as of 10 March 2026; if he will provide a breakdown of those proceedings by offence type, quarter, and present status. [29819/26]
816. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of animal cruelty-related proceedings arising from incidents recorded since Quarter 3 of 2024 which have, to date, resulted in conviction, acquittal, dismissal, strike-out, withdrawal, or remain pending, in tabular form. [29820/26]
817. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for a breakdown of the animal cruelty incidents recorded from Quarter 3 of 2024 to Quarter 4 of 2025 under the ‘Cruelty/Neglect’ incident type on PULSE, by county, and Garda division. [29821/26]
818. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether consideration has been given to introducing enhanced data reporting requirements or statutory obligations to ensure consistent national recording and publication of animal cruelty enforcement data; and if so, the status of such considerations. [29831/26]
872. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the formal arrangements that exist between An Garda Síochána and other public authorities, including his Department and local authorities, in relation to the referral, joint handling, or escalation of suspected animal cruelty or neglect cases. [29827/26]
873. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the performance indicators, governance metrics, or oversight arrangements used by his Department to assess the effectiveness of the State’s response to alleged animal cruelty offences, including reporting rates, investigation progression, seizure action, prosecution rates, and case outcomes. [29828/26]
874. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether any policy gaps, operational deficiencies, or data limitations have been identified by his Department or An Garda Síochána in relation to the recording and investigation of animal cruelty incidents; and if he will outline the steps being taken to address same. [29830/26]
875. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the role external bodies or agencies play in supporting investigations into animal cruelty incidents, including veterinary services or animal welfare organisations; and whether formal protocols exist governing such engagement. [29832/26]
897. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on measures to protect the welfare of urban horses, in particular in relation to the welfare of horses used in sulky racing; the engagement his Department has had with the Department of Transport in relation to recent events (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30396/26]
458. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the number of puppy farms that have been shut down by agents and agencies of his Department for each of the years 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29443/26]
459. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the work ongoing to address claims in relation to puppy farms in operation in Ireland (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29444/26]
460. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding work ongoing to improve animal welfare in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29445/26]
461. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether there is sufficient funding available to support animal welfare charities across the country on an annual basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29446/26]