My Department is responsible for the issue of an annual licence to the Irish Coursing Club, ICC, and its affiliated clubs to capture live hares, under section 34 of the Wildlife Act 1976, as amended. Only clubs which are named by the ICC in their licence application request are permitted lawfully to catch hares. Any person catching hares other than in accordance with the conditions of the licence is open to prosecution. Any report indicating capture of hares in breach of the licence would be investigated, but my Department has no indication of such a breach in relation to the capture of hares at Valentia Island.