2508. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of inspections, investigations and enforcement actions carried out in relation to organised sulky racing events in each of the past five years;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55838/26]

Animal welfare is a key priority for me as Minister and for the Government.

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. However, it must be emphasised that primary responsibility for the health and welfare of equines lies with the owner or keeper.

The use of horse-drawn vehicles, as with all vehicles on public roads, is governed by the relevant provisions of the Roads and Road Traffic Acts, which is under the remit of the Minister for Transport. The drivers of such vehicles are required to comply with road traffic legislation, with the enforcement of this legislation falling under the remits of my colleagues the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and the Minister for Transport, who would be in a position to provide the information sought by the Deputy. My Department does not retain records pertaining to enforcement actions under the above Act.

I have written to both Ministers, expressing my concern about the subject of horse-drawn vehicles on public roads from the perspective of road safety and animal welfare and asked them to nominate senior officials to meet with counterparts from my Department to scope out the issues involved and how they might be addressed.

My Department operates a confidential animal welfare helpline through which members of the public can report incidents of animal cruelty or neglect for investigation. The dedicated email address and helpline in place for reporting suspected cases of animal welfare are:

Helpline Phone No: 01 607 2379.

Email address - animalwelfare@agriculture.gov.ie