I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, to the Chamber.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I want to raise the persistent neglect of horses in urban areas, in particular in Dublin. Earlier this month, we saw the tragic death of Anne, a pregnant horse who collapsed on the N4 near Ballyfermot following an illegal sulky race on Dollymount Strand. Anne was brutally beaten by her owners after collapsing from exhaustion, and abandoned and left to die on the side of the road. The images were horrific.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. The abuse of horses is a regular occurrence on our streets. Owners say they love their horses, but when we see the conditions they are living in we have to wonder whether that is true. We hear urban horse owners say they love their horses, but there does not seem to be much evidence of that. Other urban horse owners know who the perpetrators of the treatment and death of Anne in Ballyfermot are, but have not made that known to the Garda. They talk about urban horses, but there is no action or evidence they are committed to them.

Young children use small ponies like bicycles and playgrounds and show zero respect for them. People ride sulkies down the wrong side of the road during rush hour traffic, narrowly avoiding buses and cars and terrifying people around them. Horses are left tied to poles during the height of the summer with no water, and many have died from dehydration and neglect. There are illegal and unregulated stables across the city, with horses crowded into completely inadequate shelters in abandoned buildings or empty lots, exposed to the elements and often living in their own filth.

It is absolutely disgraceful how horses are being treated by their owners and supposed guardians. The State has completely failed to stand up for their welfare. The Garda has constantly said it does not have the resources to address these issues and gardaí can only stand idly by as animal cruelty takes place on a massive scale. We desperately need Garda units in each division, dedicated to ending animal cruelty and abuse so that incidents such as what happened to Anne and her foal are taken seriously and investigated properly.

We also need new legislation and better enforcement around sulky racing and horse carriages on public roads, banning them where it is dangerous. It is astounding to me that the current law governing the topic is the Dublin Carriage Act 1853. The effort to draw up new legislation to deal with this area was suspended as a response to Covid and has never been resumed. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have a shameful legacy when it comes to animal welfare and the complete neglect of the welfare of horses is just one example of this.

We urgently need an overhaul of our legislation on animal welfare and safety. I urge the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and his colleagues in the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and Department of Transport to finally take this issue off the back burner and begin working towards ending the systemic abuse of animals in Ireland.

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. As he referenced, the programme for Government contains a commitment to prioritise equine welfare and to build on existing inspectorate supports across the country, ensuring a consistent approach to dealing with horse welfare. The welfare of equines is protected by legislation. However, I must emphasise that primary responsibility for protecting the welfare of equines rests with the owner or keeper. As the Senator has identified, in some cases owners or keepers show scant regard for the welfare of their animals.

I am fully committed to supporting sustainable initiatives in line with the programme for Government and Ireland's animal welfare strategy 2021 to 2025, which is currently in the process of being renewed by the Department. To encourage the good care and welfare of horses throughout the country, over €2 million has been spent by the Department on urban horse projects to help address the issue of their care and welfare, with €170,000 allocated for these projects in 2026. The projects have proven very successful and work specifically on equine welfare in marginalised communities. I accept there are still unscrupulous individuals who have no regard for a horse or its welfare.

The projects provide education for young people in responsible horse ownership, including compliance with legal requirements and the proper and appropriate care of equines, with the objective of achieving higher standards for any horses they may come in contact with.

It is part of an education process that is trying to inculcate at a younger age an understanding of the needs of the animal and how they might be in a position to better care for their welfare as they progress through life.

Regarding the welfare of equines living in urban areas, the Control of Horses Act 1996 was introduced to provide for the control of horses and to make provision for the licensing of horses in urban and other areas where horses cause a danger or nuisance to people or property. The Act is currently under review within the Department. The operation of the Act comes under the remit of local authorities. Under the Act, local authorities may take a range of actions, including the prohibition of horses in certain areas, issuing of licences and the seizure of horses in contravention of the Act. These powers can be used in respect of straying horses, which includes horses put on land without the owner’s permission, and that includes public land. Local authorities may also prosecute offenders under this Act. Our Department provides financial support to help local authorities with the cost of these seizures.

The use of sulkies on public roads, which is the issue the Senator also specifically raised, as with the use of all vehicles, including animal-drawn vehicles, is covered by the relevant provisions of the Roads and Road Traffic Acts. Policy in connection with this legislation would be a matter for the Minister for Transport. I am not passing the buck and will certainly raise the Senator’s concerns with the Minister for Transport, Deputy O’Brien. The drivers of all vehicles used on public roads, including horse-drawn carriages, are required to comply with road traffic legislation and to behave in a safe manner, paying due care to other road users. The enforcement of such road traffic legislation is, as the Senator has identified, a matter for An Garda Síochána. I will certainly pass on his comments about this to the Garda. Of course, it is a resource issue, but it is for the Commissioner to allocate resources based on perceived risk and needs.

We are committed to the continued robust enforcement of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which provides a modern framework for regulating and applying standards in the area of animal health and welfare. Under the Act, people in possession of a protected animal, including horses, must ensure the animal is kept and treated in a manner which safeguards their health and welfare. Failure to do this is considered an offence under the Act. In this regard, our Department and the authorised officers appointed under the Act, including An Garda Síochána, customs agents, local authorities and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, NSPCA, undertake appropriate enforcement action where breaches or shortcomings are identified.

In December 2025, the Department provided funding of almost €6.5 million to 94 animal welfare charities throughout the country under the animal welfare grants programme. Of that figure, just over €4 million was awarded to charities involved in the care and welfare of horses.

I thank the Minister of State, and I know he is as horrified as anybody else when he sees the way horses are treated. Sulky racing is a hazard not just for the public, but clearly for the horses that are treated abysmally. It is horrendous, and that poor horse on the N4 is just one of many that were treated brutally. We hear many people talking about how they love their horses, but we do not see much evidence of that from many people who are their guardians.

Clearly, legislation needs to be overhauled. We need to move on from the Dublin Carriage Act 1853. The Minister of State mentioned the money going to welfare services and rescues. If horses were to be seized and taken, there would not be any places for them. There needs to be an investment in all animal rescues. Dogs and horses are treated abysmally and the resources for the rescues that are picking up the pieces of Government failure are not sufficient. They are at their wits' end now and the pressure on volunteers working in these rescues is incredible.

I ask that the legislation be overhauled and that sulky racing be addressed as a matter of urgency.

I concur with the Senator regarding the volunteers involved in the various rescue efforts out there. I thank them sincerely for the work they do, and there is some financial support there.

I take the Senator's point regarding legislation, but you can have all the legislative provisions you want,and there is a considerable amount, but there is not an operational campaign or capacity to address it. Listening to what he has said and thinking as we are discussing the matter, there is certainly room for a co-ordinated approach to addressing this issue. The legislative provisions are there in respect of sulky racing, but it is about addressing it when it happens. I see it in my own constituency, where, on Sunday mornings or at times when there is less traffic on the road, a small cohort of people will carry on. That needs to be targeted. In the first instance, a useful tool to address this might be for some section of the local authority to act as a co-ordinator, identified with local councillors, etc., to try to bring the policing component in and the funding structure for services that cater for poorly treated or badly maintained animals. There is solid legislation to address this, but it is in putting that legislation into operation that there seems to be a gap. That might be something some of the Senator's colleagues on the local authority might try to bring together with some effort in that area. I am sure the Government will support that.

Fanfaidh muid leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Moynihan.

Tá brón orm ach níl an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Moynihan, anseo go fóill. Mar sin, leanfaidh muid ar aghaidh leis an Ní i dtosach suíonna in ainm an tSeanadóra McCarthy. We will come back to Commencement matter No. 2 when the Minister of State arrives.