asked the Minister for Justice whether he will now take steps to stop all blood sports; and, if not, why.
34.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Blood Sports.
33.
asked the Minister for Justice if he will take all necessary steps, including the introduction of legislation, to prevent otter hunts from abroad visiting this country for the purpose of carrying on their cruel sport; and, if not, why.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 34 together.
It is not my intention to introduce legislation for the purposes in question.
Is the Minister having regard to the fact that the number of persons engaging in blood sports appears to be on the increase and that, alone in Europe, we have not taken any steps in recent years to discourage this practice and that we now have the undesirable situation developing in which people are coming from abroad to pursue in Ireland sports which they are discouraged in their own countries from engaging in?
What the Deputy is asking is that I should introduce legislation to prohibit what have generally been accepted down the centuries as legitimate pastimes. There is nothing, as far as I know, to stop our citizens from going abroad, on the Continent, to hunt, shoot and fish, if they so desire.
Deputy Ryan is advocating the abolition of fox-hunting in this country by the first question and I should like to know is that Fine Gael policy.
Is the Minister not prepared to distinguish between what for long have been recognised as fair sports and exercises called sports in which animals are deliberately and painfully baited? Does the Minister not consider it possible to distinguish between them and to legislate accordingly?
There is no question of baiting arising in any of these sports to which the Deputy refers, so far as I am aware. Bear-baiting was done away with many centuries ago. What the Deputy is asking us to do is to abolish sports that are available in every country in the whole of Europe.
Is the Minister aware that several of the sports to which I make reference have been condemned by all church leaders in this country and the law as it now exists permits many of these to take place?
The Deputy is no doubt an authority on what church leaders think.
In view of the fact that Denmark, Switzerland and Germany have seen fit to introduce such elementary protection for otters and so on, that France is now contemplating the introduction of such legislation and that many rivers in Britain are now completely denuded of such animals and that the churches in this country have specifically condemned this particularly odious perversion of sport, otter-hunting, would the Minister not consider it is high time he gave such facilities so as at least to preserve some of this species?
I am not aware that the countries to which the Deputy has referred have taken any such steps. I have quite recently shot in Germany. They have special laws to enable the people to preserve certain areas so as to get an income from the hunting that goes on in that country, both wild bear and deer, and so on. The same goes for the other countries to which the Deputy refers. I know there is a very small minority view against all forms of beast sports but I think they would have to convert more people to their point of view before I should promulgate legislation in this House.