asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food in view of the fact that live hare coursing is regarded as abhorrent by the majority of people in this country, the action, if any, he intends to take to prohibit this.
5.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Live Hare Coursing.
4.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the plans, if any, he has to review the legislation to bring to an end the cruel sport of hare coursing.
57.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will give details regarding the future of live hare coursing in this country; if he will consider imposing restrictions or banning outright this barbarous practice; and if he will make a statement on the matters.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 4, 5 and 57 together.
The Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, provides for the control of coursing by the Irish Coursing Club which operate under the general control and direction of Bord na gCon. I am satisfied that both bodies make every effort to ensure that coursing meetings are, nowadays, conducted in such a way as to avoid abuses. I have no proposals at present to restrict coursing though I will keep the matter under regular review in consultation with Bord na gCon to ensure that the board and the club maintain proper supervision of coursing meetings and that they take steps to see that those who are responsible for the organisation and conduct of meetings comply fully with the law.
Does the Minister accept that live coursing is a cruel and barbarous activity which the majority of people would like to see stopped? Will he consider introducing amending legislation to, at the very minimum, ban enclosed hare coursing?
On a personal level, I have apprehensions as to the nature of some activities in coursing. However, I am satisfied, as my predecessor said to the Deputy four years ago, that Bord na gCon and the coursing clubs operate under licence and within the law to ensure that any unnecessary abuse or cruelty is avoided. I will keep the matter under review but I know the Deputy is aware that my predecessor spoke on the subject in March 1987 and I should be allowed a few months to consider the matter considering my predecessor's position for four or five years.
While accepting that Bord na gCon supervise what goes on, will the Minister agree and accept that at every coursing meeting hares are torn to pieces by greyhounds? It is a most cruel, unpleasant and barbaric activity and should be the subject of legislation.
It is already the subject of legislation in this House. It is governed by specific legislation, some under the Wildlife Act for which the Minister for the Marine has responsibility. It is also covered under the Protection of Animals Act, 1965, which is the responsibility of the Minister for Justice. I am satisfied that these regulations are carefully monitored and implemented, even to the extent of licences being revoked where appropriate and that the House is discharging its responsibility in this matter. If in the course of a further review it appears to me that it is necessary to introduce further legislation I will not be reluctant to introduce it.
I raised this matter in the other House in 1974 and the answers do not change. Will the Minister tell me the number of countries in Europe at the present time who have continued to allow enclosed park coursing? Might I further ask the Minister in relation to the close monitoring of the situation that is going on as to how this is accomplished if access to coursing meetings has been denied very often to the press and to those who wished to see coursing taking place and where photographers have been abused and asked to leave?
A question, please.
My question is, how adequate is the monitoring procedure where access is so totally inhibited? I have a further question in relation to the different amendment Acts required. Does the Minister not agree that the only licences that have been revoked have been, in cases prepared under enormously difficult conditions, for people who have coursed hares again and again and that that ignores the point of the question, that the act of tearing a hare to pieces by greyhounds, witnessed by spectators including children and clergymen is in itself a despicable practice?
A Deputy
Hear, hear.
I accept the Deputy's depth of felling in this matter. In relation to monitoring, I am very anxious to ensure that we have effective monitoring. If the Deputy or any other Deputy is aware of people who have been refused access to any such meetings, simply because people are trying to block off information, I will be glad to be made aware of it.
RTE were refused access.
I will not take on responsibility to which I am not entitled. I cannot make any promises to the House as to what will happen. It is not all within my responsibility as Minister for Agriculture. As it is not the subject of the question, I am not aware of the practice in other countries in Europe or elsewhere.
We are the last.
The social conditions in Ireland and the whole practice of coursing is probably of much longer tradition here than elsewhere and it probably has much stronger socio-economic associations than it has in any other country.
Finally,——
Nóiméad amháin, Deputy Higgins, teastaíonn ó Deputy Gregory ceist a chur. I will allow you a final question when I have allowed Deputy Gregory to ask one.
I am sure the Minister agrees that there is ambivalence towards violence here. Does the Minister agree that one obvious example of official ambivalence to violence is the continued formal legalised protection conferred on live hare coursing, which apparently is welcomed here by laughter by some members of the Fine Gael Party, a practice that involves cruelty of the most violent type against defencless animals, the tearing apart of limb from limb by packs of dogs——
(Interruptions.)
Deputy Gregory, one moment please. Will the Deputy take it that most Deputies here are familiar with the practice, and just ask a question?
They are not familiar enough.
I hope there is nothing embarrassing in describing what we legalise in this country.
Except that there is not provision for it in Question Time. We must ask questions at Question Time.
I am sure I have not asked a question longer than some of the ones I have been sitting here listening to for the last hour.
The Deputy has high standards and I am sure he will not be led astray by others.
I have asked the Minister one specific question. Further, does the Minister condone this practice? Has the Minister any misgivings at all about it and does he regard it as a priority in his Department to introduce changes?
My predecessor indicated four or five years ago that this matter would be kept under review by him. This is the first time this question has been addressed to me. I freely acknowledge that I have not addressed this question up to this time for a variety of reasons. I invite the House and anyone interested in coursing and greyhound racing to make their views known to me by way of submissions. When I am more fully aware of all the issues involved I will consider how best to regulate it.
Can I take it from the Minister's reply that should any coursing meeting and those organising it refuse access to any member of the public, the press or photographers, it will lead to a withdrawal of their licence?
The Deputy will appreciate that it will not be a matter for me to withdraw licences but I will certainly consult with the authorities concerned. I hope that the approach here will be evenhanded and that those people seeking access to what many people regard as a legitimate recreational event in rural Ireland will seek access in a way which does not disrupt the right of others to engage in what they see as normal, social recreational activities.
In the light of the Minister's response and in the light of his learning more about what happens in coursing meetings, would the Minister be prepared to communicate directly with Bord na gCon to indicate to them that in his view coursing meetings should permit the national television station to go into coursing meetings and film them and that no meetings should be licensed if it restricts access to RTE to film what takes place? Will the Minister give a very clear directive that that is his view in the interests of ensuring that both the Minister and people generally are fully informed as to what takes place at coursing meetings and finally,——
It is a very long question.
A final comment. Will the Minister do that also in the context of bearing in mind that Bord na gCon were successful in having the national television authority televise ordinary greyhound track races? There is no reason why RTE should not have access to coursing meetings.
I hope that the Deputy does not misunderstand. The Deputy has represented my views in a way he might have understood them, but I did not say that I felt that RTE should attend here or there. I said that I should like everyone to have access to these events.
RTE should not be prevented.
It is not my function to direct anyone to allow RTE or anyone else access. However, I am anxious to ensure that the conduct of these events will be in a way that will be favourably acceptable to the people who are engaged in them and to the people who have reservations about them. That is all we can do in a democracy. I hope to regulate it accordingly.
Would the Minister accept that every coursing meeting is carefully monitored by Bord na gCon and that coursing is a vital part of the greyhound industry here?
Deputy Naughten has expressed what is not just a personal view but a view that is widely held throughout the country.
Question No.6.
Can I ask a supplementary?
We will not go on to Question No. 6. I have rather confined Deputy Gregory already, so I will allow him a final question.
The Minister said that each coursing meeting was carefully monitored. Can the Minister say if the coursing meeting at Castleisland on 25 and 26 October of this year was carefully monitored and if so, if he has any details, because there were extensive press reports of serious malpractices at that meeting? If the Minister is not aware of it and does not have any report, will he investigate the matter and communicate the details of that report to me?
I am not aware of that malpractice. Secondly, I should be glad to inquire into the circumstances of the case if the Deputy will let me have the details.
We will now move on to questions nominated for priority. I want to remind Deputies that in respect of these questions only the Deputy in whose name the question appears is entitled to ask supplementaries.