Veterinary Ireland has stated that mink on fur farms do not have a life worth living in any way. As solitary, wild and semi-aquatic creatures, packing mink into metal cages in groups is alien and unnatural. For that reason, Veterinary Ireland asserts that it is impossible to regulate the fur trade and somehow make it kinder because it is not farming at all. The mink are gassed at six months and their skins are pulled off.

Country after country has phased out or banned fur farming. I do not have time to list them all, but the UK, Austria, the Netherlands, Croatia, Slovenia, Norway, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Belgium, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia, Germany, Denmark and Sweden have agreed to or are in the process of banning fur farming. Even Japan, New Zealand and others outside the EU are doing so. In the past three years, every major fashion house has gone fur free, including Prada just a few days ago. According to a RED C poll, 80% of people in Ireland believe that fur farming should be banned. They view it as cruel, backward and barbaric, and all for the sake of a luxury product that most people will never see and nobody needs. It is an example of capitalism willing to disregard life and welfare for pure profit.

On 3 July, we in Solidarity are due to move Second Stage of our Prohibition of Fur Farming Bill 2018, which has received widespread support at home and abroad. I thank the ISPCA, activists in the National Animal Rights Association, NARA, the Fur Free Alliance, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports and many others who have lobbied intensely on this issue.

Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, Labour, Independents 4 Change, the Green Party, the Social Democrats and Solidarity-People Before Profit have all stated that they support a ban. The only question now is what is Fine Gael’s stance. Is Fine Gael the only party in the Dáil standing in the way of ending this animal cruelty? In 2005, it was in favour of banning fur farming. Its Deputies, including the Minister, voted to do so. The Bill in question fell and, unfortunately, Fine Gael has done nothing in the intervening 14 years to ban it.

This is Fine Gael’s opportunity. Based on the figures, our Bill will pass. That leaves Fine Gael with three options. It can break with what it believed in 2005 and be the only party to vote to maintain fur farming, it can support our Bill or, knowing that the figures mean that the Bill must pass, it can decide not to waste valuable time for the animals themselves and the Dáil agenda and ban fur farming via ministerial order. Is the Minister willing to take the initiative and talk to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, about making a ministerial order under sections 11 or 36 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013? Of course, time must be given and there must be discussion about alternative industries or agribusiness and alternative employment for the 47 or so registered employees, who are mainly seasonal workers, on the three remaining fur farms. Is he willing to do the right thing?

The Deputy will get a further opportunity. The Minister to respond.

I regret that I have not seen a copy of the Bill that Solidarity is proposing.

I moved First Stage ages ago.

It has not been presented to the Government yet. However, I assure the Deputy that, when it is presented to us, it will get the proper attention that it deserves. Obviously, the Deputy feels strongly about this issue. There has been a great effort to tighten up the regulations on animal cruelty in respect of farming and other activities. The Government will undoubtedly assess Solidarity's proposal, but it would be foolish of me, not having been briefed on the issues involved, to try to anticipate the Government's response to the Bill.

That is a disgraceful answer. The Bill was moved many months ago. Every Deputy has received numerous emails about it, yet the Minister says that he has not seen it. It is a repeat of the Bill that he voted for in 2005. It is the exact same.

I am giving the Government time, as it has 19 days left to consider the matter before we move Second Stage. Will it be a laggard on animal rights, which Ireland currently is, or will it agree to support the Bill? Alternatively, will it do what it did with circus animals, an issue on which Solidarity had a Bill pending, when it made a ministerial order to ban the use of wild animals in circuses? At the time in November 2017, the Minister, Deputy Creed, stated that doing so was the general view of the public at large and that the ban was a progressive move reflective of our commitment to animal welfare. The exact same statement applies to mink and fur farming, as 80% of people believe it to be wrong. It is thoroughly backward, there is no justification for it and the farms in question are hardly making a profit at this point. Fine Gael must do the right thing now after not doing so for 14 years.

The House has set up procedures to deal with ideas proposed by Members. It is about taking the opportunity to have serious consideration. An issue such as this would have to be considered by the Cabinet so that we could take a collective view. That is only reasonable. With every other Bill, be it accepted or rejected, this is the approach that we take. Without giving any notice on Leaders’ Questions, the Deputy cannot expect me to have consulted other Cabinet members so that I might revert to the House with a collective view on how a particular Bill will be handled. That is not a reasonable expectation.

Like any other Deputy's proposal, Deputy Coppinger's must be taken seriously. We must evaluate proposals against all the criteria that the Cabinet is obliged to consider when considering issues such as this. I do not seek to stonewall; rather this must be considered by the Cabinet in the normal way.

Why has the Minister changed his mind since 2005?

It will be assessed on its merits. That is all I can assure the Deputy about.