Written Answers Nos. 411-420
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]
View answer412. 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]
View answer413. 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]
View answer414. 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]
View answer415. 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]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 415, 411, 412, 413 and 414 together.
Animal welfare is a key priority for me as Minister and for the Government. My Department has lead policy responsibility within government for animal welfare and takes this matter most seriously. I am committed to the policy that animal welfare standards are vigorously applied in a fair and even-handed manner and remain committed to the continued robust enforcement of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which provides a modern framework for regulating and applying standards in the area of animal health and welfare.
All reports of alleged animal cruelty or neglect received by my Department are investigated. My Department and authorised officers appointed under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, including An Garda Síochána (AGS), where although a formal memorandum of understanding does not exist, members of AGS are still empowered as authorised officers under the Act, Customs agents, local authorities, and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), undertake appropriate enforcement action, where breaches or shortcomings are identified. My Department keeps the Act under review in light of key developments in the areas of animal welfare, the law and having regard to the practical lessons learnt from operating the Act.
Since the introduction of the Act, approximately 1,000 staff within my Department have been designated as authorised officers, under the Act. A large number of these authorised officers are based in my Department’s network of Regional Veterinary Offices throughout the country, providing nationwide coverage. Their responsibilities include carrying out welfare inspections in every county and providing advice and support to the keepers of animals, however primary responsibility for protecting the welfare of animals rests with the owner or keeper.
My Department does not maintain a central database in relation to animal cruelty offences and currently there are no plans to introduce such a mechanism.
My Department also operates a confidential animal welfare helpline through which members of the public can report incidents of animal cruelty or neglect for investigation. During the period 2014- 2025 the number of reports received totalled 12,874. All reports received generate case reports which are referred for investigation by authorised officers and appropriate action is taken, which could include, up to, prosecution. The dedicated email address and helpline in place for reporting suspected cases of animal welfare are:
Helpline Phone No: 01 607 2379.
Email address - animalwelfare@agriculture.gov.ie
The information requested by the Deputy, in relation to prosecutions and animal welfare complaints, is available in the attached documents.
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]
View answerThe term of Ireland’s first ever Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025 - Working Together for Animal Welfare reached a conclusion at the end of 2025.
In 2025, a process was initiated to develop a new animal welfare strategy, which will act as a framework for engagement and collaboration to direct future activities with the aim of benefiting both animals and Irish society.
Development of the strategy is now well underway following broad stakeholder engagement including a non-statutory public consultation that was launched on November 19th and ran to January 2nd. In excess of 1750 individual submissions were received as part of that process.
In moving to the drafting stage, my Department will work through the issues arising from this consultation and other issues in this area, both from a National and International (particularly EU) perspective, as a final document evolves for publication, anticipated in Q2 2026.
The new strategy will continue to adopt a ‘One Health, One Welfare’ approach, acknowledging and valuing the inter-dependencies between human, animal and environmental health, and taking an evidence-led approach to policy making, target-setting, monitoring and evaluation.
417. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of all capital projects including fishery harbour, forestry, agri-food and other infrastructure projects delivered under the remit of his Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed on time and within budget in Dublin West in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33685/26]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that there have been no capital projects, including fishery harbour, forestry, agri-food and other infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of my Department, in Dublin West, in each of the past five years.
As regards the 13 State Bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.
418. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department or any bodies and agencies under his aegis use software and or products from a company (details supplied); and the duration and cost of the contract; and the services they avail of from the company. [33713/26]
View answerIt is not possible to provide the information requested by the Deputy in the required time. My Department will revert with a response as soon as the information is available.
As regards the 13 State Bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.
419. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of all capital projects including fishery harbour, forestry, agri-food and other infrastructure projects delivered under the remit of his Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed on time and within budget in Dublin in each of the past five years, in tabular form [33833/26]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that the information requested in relation to all capital projects, including fishery harbour, forestry, agri-food and other infrastructure projects delivered under the remit of his Department, in each of the past five years is set out in the attached table.
As regards the 13 State Bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.
|
Year |
Capital Projects Details - Dublin |
|
2021
|
Disability Access Works Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
Syncrolift Dredging Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
Fishers Toilets Re Roofing Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
CCTV Poles Upgrade Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
2021-2023 |
OPW Brexit infrastructure = Infrastructure delivered at Ports and Airports (primarily Dublin Port) to ensure customs and controls points were compliant with new requirements after the Brexit Transition Period. These works were co-funded by client Departments at these sites including DAFM. |
|
2022 |
Disability Access Works Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
West Pier Boat Store Upgrade of Roofing Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
2023 |
Disability Access Works Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
Boatyard Surfacing Upgrade Programme Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
East Pier Storage Sheds - Service Upgrade and Waterproofing Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
Canteen upgrade in Agriculture House |
|
2024 |
Disability Access Works Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
Middle Pier Upgrade Surfacing and Drainage Works Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
Electrical and Plumbing fit out of Fishers Welfare Facility Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
Vehicle Storage Building Boatyard Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
2025 |
Disability Access Works Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
Purchase of Harbour Workboat Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
Harbour Building Repairs and Upgrade Howth Fishery Harbour Centre |
|
|
Environmental and Energy Upgrades 2025 Howth Fishery Harbour Centre electrical upgrade and Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure in boatyard |
420. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of civil and public servants employed by his Department in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [33944/26]
View answerThe number of civil servants employed by my Department in each of the past ten years, is in tabular form below
(Year End Figures extracted, as of the 26.04.26)
|
Year |
Count of Civil Service Staff |
|
2016 |
3142 |
|
2017 |
3258 |
|
2018 |
3369 |
|
2019 |
3583 |
|
2020 |
3749 |
|
2021 |
3874 |
|
2022 |
3922 |
|
2023 |
4007 |
|
2024 |
3905 |
|
2025 |
4066 |
|
2026 (26.04.26) |
4117 |
