Vol. 504 No. 1
44 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if she will introduce a grouse restocking programme in co-operation with farming interests and the regulating of annual heather burning; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11057/99]
I have no plans to introduce a grouse restocking programme at present. The restocking of grouse on areas from which they have disappeared is unlikely to be successful unless the factors causing the decline have been identified and rectified. Widespread overgrazing and the lack of effective predator control are considered important in this context. There has been a substantial decline in numbers since the 1920s as a result of the break-up of the sporting estates. From a conservation perspective, under section 24 of the Wildlife Act, 1976, the hunting season for grouse is limited to the month of September. However, I understand that the National Association of Regional Game Councils recently applied to the Heritage Council under the wildlife grant scheme to undertake a census count of this species with a view to establishing baseline information for future long-term studies and a grant of £10,000 has been made available under this scheme. For the purposes of this count Dúchas, the heritage service of my Department issued a licence under section 29(C) of the Wildlife Act, 1976.
The burning of vegetation, including heather, in the countryside is already regulated by legislation. Under section 40 of the Wildlife Act, 1976 subject to certain exceptions it is an offence to burn vegetation on uncultivated land between 15 April and 31 August. The burning of heather to stimulate fresh growth is considered a low priority on blanket bog and also conflicts with other conservation interests. On heath, particularly in the east of the country it is considered a valuable management technique for grouse but too difficult to control on a large enough scale to be effective.
