I propose to take Questions Nos. 797, 798, 799, 800 and 801 together.
Animal welfare is a key priority for my Department and considerable funding is provided to support eligible animal welfare charities nationwide, through the annual Animal Welfare Grant Programme, which is administered by my Department.
The 2026 animal welfare grant programme process, has now launched and animal welfare charities that meet eligibility criteria have been invited to submit applications for funding. In December 2025, I provided funding of almost €6.5 million to 94 animal welfare charities throughout the country. This figure represents the highest allocation of funding awarded under the Animal Welfare Grants programme.
A decision on the level of funding provided for animal welfare organisations, through the animal welfare grants programme, will be made later in the year. There are currently no plans to introduce multi annual funding allocations.
The information requested by the Deputy is available below, please note this information represents the funding provided by my Department. Other public bodies may have funding schemes available for animal welfare organisations to access and they would be able to provide information on same.
Animal Welfare Grants Programme
|
Year
|
Amount
|
|
2025
|
€6,434,803
|
|
2024
|
€5,993,558
|
|
2022
|
€5,801,444
|