338. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the funding provided to Cork City Council for the control of horses in each of the first six months in each of the past five years, in tabular form. [54164/26]

My Department is responsible for all policy and legislation in relation to the Control of Horses Act 1996.  Operation of the Act comes under the remit of Local Authorities.

The welfare of equines is protected by legislation and there is a commitment in the Programme for Government to build on existing inspectorate supports across the country, ensuring a consistent approach to dealing with horse welfare. It must be emphasised that primary responsibility for the health and welfare of equines lies with the owner or keeper.

My Department provides funding to local authorities on submission of claims by local authorities as a contribution towards the costs incurred by them in operation of the Control of Horses Act, 1996.

Local authorities should make every effort to recover all costs associated with horse seizures wherever possible and ensure they are receiving value for money through the procurement process.

The funding provided by my Department on submission of claims by Cork City Council for the control of horses in each of the first six months for the past five years is below in tabular form: