583. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if proposals to ban remotely controlled electronic shock collars on dogs will be referred to the high-level stakeholder group on dog control for consideration as part of a coherent policy response from Government on the matter of dog control; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29582/24]

The Advisory Council on Companion Animal Welfare, which I established under an independent chair, as part of my Department's wider animal welfare strategy, advises me on animal welfare matters and considered the question of whether the use of remotely controlled electronic shock collars on dogs and cats ought to be banned in Ireland. As part of this process, my Department held a public consultation, earlier this year, with the results available on gov.ie: www.gov.ie/en/publication/e881c-animal-welfare/#use-of-remotely-controlled-electronic-shock-collars-in-dogs-and-cats-consultation-results. I have no plans to refer the matter to the group mentioned.