asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware of the serious damage being caused to sheep flocks in County Dublin by marauding dogs, with particular reference to the Bohernabreena, Brittas and Tallaght areas; and when he intends to introduce legislation to deal with this very serious problem.

5.

asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware that the estimated losses of sheep killed by marauding dogs are now running at about £2 million per year; and if in the circumstances he will indicate any proposals he has to ensure greater control of dogs by licensing or otherwise.

6.

asked the Minister for Agriculture if consideration has yet been given to the memorandum submitted by the National Action Committee for Dog Control; and if it is intended to implement the recommendations in that memorandum.

7.

asked the Minister for Agriculture the proposals the Government have to prevent the killing of sheep by stray dogs.

I propose taking Questions Nos. 4 to 7, inclusive, together.

I am indeed aware of and concerned about the damage, suffering and death being caused to sheep by marauding dogs in many parts of the country and the losses which these attacks entail for farmers. My Department have recently conducted an extensive publicity campaign on radio and television to bring home to dog owners the necessity for keeping their dogs under proper control at all times and their legal obligation for doing so.

Existing legislation, which concerns a number of Departments, provides comprehensive powers and measures for the control of dogs. My Department are primarily concerned with the protection of sheep and other farm animals from dog attacks and in this connection the Department have been examining the question of strengthening the implementation of existing measures and the possible introduction of additional measures. In this examination the suggestions by the National Action Committee for Dog Control are being given full consideration and, in this regard, a preliminary discussion with the committee has already taken place.

Can the Minister give any indication of when he hopes to take some action in this matter?

I could not give a definite indication at this stage but the Minister of State, Deputy Hegarty, had a meeting with the committee referred to in the reply last week and I hope that as a result we will have some definite steps taken.

Is the Minister aware that a considerable amount of work has been done in his Department on the preparation of the appropriate memorandum for the Government? Is the Minister also aware that legislation could be drafted fairly quickly in this matter? I would ask the Minister to take the urgency of this matter into consideration.

As I have just stated, we have tackled this matter with some urgency and we will be taking action as quickly as possible.

Would the Minister agree that the local authorities take the view that existing legislation is inadequate to enable them to control marauding dogs? Will the Minister be considering the provision of dog wardens in suitable areas with full powers to take marauding dogs under control and have them brought to a pound?

That is one of the matters which will be considered. Many of the problems in this field concern the division of responsiblity. There are four Departments involved — the Department of the Environment, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Justice and the Department of Finance. Until such time as we can get a clear-cut division of responsibility, or a definite allocation of responsibility to one specific Department, we will have problems. However, I hope to be able to introduce measures under the control of one specific Department which would enable the employment of dog wardens. At present there are very substantial grants for the setting up of dog shelter homes which are administered by the Department of the Environment. The Deputy may rest assured that my Department will assist in every manner possible to see that there is a concerted effort to control stray dogs.

Could the Minister give an approximate indication as to when these measures might possibly be taken?

I would not like to be specific on that point; it will be as quickly as possible.

In view of the urgency of the matter from the point of view of the protection of sheep flocks, will the Minister not agree that the Department to deal with the matter should be the Department of Agriculture? We should cut out this nonsense of different Departments having different responsibilities in the matter.

I agree. That is why my Department on 8 February had a meeting with the National Action Committee for Dog Control.