Vol. 442 No. 5
9 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the amount of money that has been expended on monitoring the activity of hare coursing since the change in legislation was introduced requiring that greyhounds be muzzled.
The money expended by my Department in monitoring hare coursing during the last season were largely those incurred by officials in respect of travel and related expenses for attendance at coursing meetings.
The monitoring of coursing meetings was, by and large, carried out by veterinary officers from the district veterinary offices. The expense incurred was met from the fixed total budget for each district veterinary office. Separate accounting for the costs incurred for attendance at coursing meetings would not normally be carried out.
The Minister has not answered my question except to say that a cost was incurred, which is obvious.
As he asked us to consider the financial implications of the many decisions he has been asked to take, would it not have made economic sense to increase monitoring? Does the Minister intend to continue — or to increase — monitoring in the next season or was it simply to ascertain if muzzling is successful in his terms? If he intends to carry out monitoring on as ongoing basis will he ensure that its results are published so that the officials of his Department and the public can judge if it was wise to go down that road?
The Deputy asked a number of questions. The reports received in my Department following the monitoring of last year's coursing season are being correlated and I await a report which I will consider on a number of bases, including the necessity to introduce regulations following the enactment of the greyhound industry legislation which was passed here before Christmas. I will consider the type of monitoring necessary and whether it should be increased or decreased. Until I have had an opportunity to study last year's report in full I cannot make a decision in that regard.
As the Deputy is aware, last August I put in place a monitoring committee comprising members of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Board na gCon and the office of Public Works. Additional costs were not incurred by the Department, but Bord na aCon and the Office of Public Works did incur additional costs.
In other words, the costs of continuing coursing will be borne by the taxpayer. Will the Minister make the report available to Members of this House and the public or will it simply be for his consumption? I am sure many people would be interested to know how that monitoring was carried out and its results.
Will the Deputy accept that I have always treated this area with transparency and that questions put down are answered in full? It is my intention to publish all relevant information — or make it available to this House and the Seanand.
Does the Minister have the figure for travelling expenses paid to those carrying out the monitoring? What does he mean by "all relevant information"? Surely all information in respect of monitoring should be made available. The Programme for Government promised openness and transparency and, therefore, none of the information should be withheld from the public.
I assure the Deputy that I do not intend withholding information from the public. I stated in reply to the earlier question that a veterinary officer would have been present at those meetings. Their attendance was funded from the budget allocation to district veterinary officers which must priortise their business within the parameters of their budget. Such itemisation would not be the normal practice. I explained to Deputy Sargent the manner in which the expenses incurred by the attendance of the monitoring committee were handled. Regarding whether taxpayers' money should have been used for such provision, if people want independent monitoring on behalf of the State, officers of the State must be present at such meetings.
Has the Minister received reports from the industry or the DVOs on the operation of the changes in the law on mazzling? Is the position on the ground satisfactory?
Last year we set an objective to eliminate the kill from coursing. Looking back at last year as an experimental one in respect of muzzling and so on, the exercise was successful.
Not from the point of view of the hare.
It is our intention and that of the ICC to advance our objective of eliminating the kill in that sport and reducing pain suffered by the animals.
