Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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36. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there will be a review of the Control of Dogs Act 1986; and the efforts her Department is making to ensure dog owners comply with the legislation. [26681/24]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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We had a discussion on this topic during the previous Question Time. Unfortunately, since then there have been two very serious incidents. There was a terrible incident with the death of Nicole Morey in Limerick, and I send my sympathies to her family, and there was also a very serious incident in my constituency where the armed response unit had to be called. There is now a discussion on the Control of Dogs Act and what is a restricted breed and what is not. Ministers have since commented. I ask the Minister to outline whether there will be a further review of the Control of Dogs Act and what the Government intends to do.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department has policy and legislative responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts and the Dog Breeding Establishments Act. In March 2024, I announced the establishment of a high-level stakeholder group to consider and make recommendations to strengthen policy in relation to these issues. The group is independently chaired by retired deputy Garda Commissioner Mr. John Twomey and is comprised of members with a broad range of experience. The group has been tasked with considering the policy and legislative matters under the remit of my Department, specifically the Dog Control Acts and the Dog Breeding Establishments Act.

The work of the stakeholder group is complex in nature, requiring full consideration of all aspects of the legislation under the remit of my Department and this will take some time. However, in view of recent events, I have asked the chair to prioritise the issue of restricted dogs. This will be the first issue to be considered by the stakeholder group at its next meeting to be held next week. I expect the group to revert to me with recommendations on the matter as soon as possible once it has considered all issues arising.

It is important for dog owners to be aware of their responsibilities and act in a responsible way, not just towards the general public but also towards their dogs. For this reason, I launched a major national awareness campaign in April to alert dog owners to their responsibilities and raise awareness of the dangers that can be posed to people and livestock by uncontrolled dogs. My Department will continue this awareness effort alongside the work of the stakeholder group.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister. One of the issues being raised is what constitutes a restricted dog. At present, the list contains the American pit bull terrier, the bull terrier, the English bull terrier, the Staffordshire bull terrier, the bullmastiff, the Doberman pinscher, the German shepherd, the Rhodesian ridgeback, the rottweiler, the Japanese akita, the Japanese tosa and what is called a bandog, which is a cross or mix of any of the other breeds. It is on this point that my query is. Some have suggested that perhaps it is already the case that the XL bully, which is the cause of much of the discussion, is arguably a restricted breed. Will the Minister shed more light on this? Can it be considered a restricted breed as things stand under the current legislation? If not, the Minister spoke of the review group coming back to her. Will this be in advance of it completing the entire review? Will it come back on the individual matter of restricted dogs or will it come back on completion of the full review?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The group will meet next week and I have asked it to prioritise the issue of the restricted breeds. I have asked it to look at this. The XL bully is a crossbreed of the American bully. It is already on the restricted breeds list. This means people have to control their dogs on a short leash and muzzle when out in public. People who own these dogs have levels of responsibilities.

I have increased the fines for dogs that are not kept under proper control. I have given €2 million to local authorities so that dog wardens have what they need in terms of vans and equipment. There has been a major publicity campaign on responsible dog ownership with advertisements on national and local media in recent months. I am taking this matter extremely seriously. This is why I asked the former deputy Garda Commissioner John Twomey to chair the group. This in itself sends out a very clear message on how serious I am about strengthening the enforcement on dog controls. The task force will prioritise the area of restricted breeds. If it recommends banning these restricted breeds or banning the XL bully, I will have no problem doing so. We just have to work out what the impact of banning will be.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I do not have a problem with that. It is important that things are thought through in this regard.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Yes.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I am glad the Minister has confirmed the XL bully is included because there was some uncertainty about it. The Minister has said it is included under the American pit bull terrier. I welcome that clarification.

This is also about the welfare of animals. In many instances the reason the control of dogs legislation is so important is because of the abuse and neglect of animals. It is also important in that regard.

Will the Minister check with the review group whether there a possibility of a difference in legislation between North and South? The North is controlled by the British legislation which changed recently. Is the review group taking that on board, including the potential difficulties with variants North and South and animals travelling from South to North in potential breach of the northern legislation?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Yes, it will look at that. As I live on the Border, I am aware that there will be a ban on these dogs in Northern Ireland. It has already kicked in in the UK. It will be in place from the first week of July. We do not want to be out of kilter with Northern Ireland. There is no point in them being banned there and having a different arrangement south of the Border. However, we have to tease out how we will police and manage this and what it really means. It is okay to ban things, but it is about how we implement the ban and make sure it is achieved. It is true that any dog can bite a person, but the damage caused by XL bullies happens because their jaws lock and it is not possible to get them off. The history of the dogs is that they were bred to be aggressive. It is in their nature. I have said this before. I absolutely do not know why anyone would want to own an XL bully. That is being straight. They are bred to be aggressive and they are dangerous in my book.

I am not an expert on this issue. That is why there is a broad range of people on the stakeholder group and I have asked them to look at the matter in detail and come back to me with their recommendations. I will be happy to take those recommendations on board. It may mean banning the dogs and taking into consideration that they have been banned elsewhere. We are looking at other countries such as Denmark and France that have implemented similar bans. We will see what we learn from their experience of how those are working on the ground. I am happy to work with Deputies on this because it is a problem we all want to solve.