462. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the merits of putting in place multiannual funding for animal welfare charities to allow for longer term plans and projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29447/26]
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
463. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether there are sufficient checks in place to ensure animal welfare standards are adhered to in the greyhound industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29448/26]
466. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will engage with animal welfare organisations in relation to their specific concerns related to sulky racing on public roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29515/26]
467. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether existing legislation is sufficient to address specific concerns related to sulky racing on public roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29518/26]
468. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will engage with An Garda Síochána in relation to specific concerns related to sulky racing on public roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29519/26]
469. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the number of prosecutions in the past five years specifically related to sulky racing and related offences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29522/26]
470. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to an animal welfare case (details supplied); his views on whether existing animal welfare legislation is sufficient to address cases such as this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29524/26]
471. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the merits of establishing a standalone Garda animal crime unit to address extreme cases of animal cruelty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29536/26]
259. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of those arrested for illegal horse racing on public roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27870/26]
261. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on an inappropriate use of an acoustic device, with implications for animal welfare ( details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27691/26]
307. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to comment on alleged animal abuse (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27566/26]
2179. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the powers available to local authority officials and authorised officers under the Control of Horses Act 1996 to enter lands, inspect animals, and seize horses; and whether he is satisfied that these powers are being fully utilised. [26292/26]
2180. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department maintains oversight of enforcement activity by local authorities under the Control of Horses Act 1996; and if so, the mechanisms in place to ensure consistency of enforcement across counties. [26293/26]
2181. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of resources allocated to local authorities in 2025 to support enforcement of the Control of Horses Act 1996 and whether additional funding or staffing is under consideration [26296/26]
2182. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the oversight mechanisms that are currently in place to monitor the welfare and conditions of greyhounds; to investigate alleged cases of ill-treatment of greyhounds, punishment, neglect or ill-treatment; the plans he has to make these more robust; the standards applied in the inspection of such cases; the way in which standards and…
2199. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an animal welfare officer will be appointed in County Mayo; when they will be appointed; and if one will not be appointed, the reasons for this; and the way in which Mayo is expected to manage concerns about animal welfare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24274/26]
2203. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has considered the establishment of a dedicated 24-hour animal welfare enforcement unit, including enhanced inspection and investigation capacity to address incidents of animal cruelty; the measures currently in place to detect and prosecute such offences; any plans to strengthen enforcement resources; and if he will…
2207. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of non-coursing greyhounds that were prepared for homing under the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust homing programme (details supplied) for each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; the number of the dogs prepared under this programme in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 that were subsequently homed; the amount spent …
2208. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of non-coursing greyhounds on the waiting list for an Irish Retired Greyhound Trust kennel space as of 23 March 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24586/26]
2209. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total amount claimed in travelling expenses by operators of the seven foster centres funded by the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust for each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24587/26]
2254. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of recent footage circulating on social media which appears to show greyhounds being kept in conditions giving rise to serious animal welfare concerns at a premises (details supplied); whether his Department has initiated a formal investigation into this matter; the timeline for any such investigation; and if he will…
2278. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to clamp down on equine cruelty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26057/26]
2279. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason no prosecutions were taken for equine cruelty in 2025 despite many horses being rescued from neglectful circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26058/26]
2280. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is supportive of the establishment of a pilot for an animal crime unit within An Garda Síochána, considering the high levels of incidents reported to animal welfare charities and the exceptionally low rate of prosecutions against animal cruelty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26059/26]
2283. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of inspections carried out by his Department under the Control of Horses Act 1996 and associated regulations in each county, by month, in 2025 and to-date in 2026; and the outcome in each case, including the number reclaimed, rehomed or otherwise disposed, in tabular form. [26263/26]