Vol. 491 No. 3
382 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if her attention has been drawn to the illegal hunting of deer carried on in various counties; if her attention has further been drawn to the specific hunts being arranged with packs of lurcher dogs; the action, if any, she proposes to take in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11796/98]
While I accept that some level of poaching takes place I have no evidence that there is a particularly high level of poaching of deer at the moment. There have been some isolated reports of the hunting of deer with lurcher dogs. Anit-poaching controls are operated by Dúchas, the heritage service of my Department, and where evidence of illegal activity is established, prosecutions have been and will be brought against those involved.
While precise figures are not available, best indications are that poaching has declined rather than increased in recent years and such illegal activity, while unwelcome, does not pose a threat to the conservation status of the deer population.
I appeal to those with any evidence of deer poaching or other illegal activity involving deer to make such evidence available to Dúchas andor the Garda Síochána so that prosecutions can be brought against those involved in this type of activity.
