Vol. 378 No. 1
asked the Minister for Finance if he will give details of the report of the wildlife inspector who monitored the coursing meeting at Macroom, County Cork on 11 October 1987; the number of hares killed; his views on whether this is a satisfactory situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
18.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will give details of the functions of forestry and wildlife officers when monitoring coursing meetings; the necessary procedures regarding the release of hares after coursing meetings; the evidence that is available that hares are actually released; if he will investigate whether or not these procedures were followed at the coursing meeting held in Blarney, County Cork on 13 October, 1987; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 18 together.
The coursing meeting at Macroom on 11 October 1987 was not attended by any officer of the Wildlife Service.
The function of officers of the Wildlife Service when attending coursing meetings is to ensure compliance with the Wildlife Act, 1976, at regulated coursing matches held in accordance with the rules for such matches which are for the time being both published and approved by the Irish Coursing Club pursuant to the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958.
The official rules of the Irish Coursing Club do not contain any provisions in relation to the release of hares. The formulation of these rules requires the consent of Bord na gCon as the ICC are subject to the general control and direction of Bord na gCon under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958.
Is it not the case that under the Wildlife Act, 1976 — I am quoting what the Minister said on 9 December 1987, as recorded at column 1384 of the Official Report——
Sorry, Deputy, quotations at Question Time are not in order.
The Act provides that a report must be given to the wildlife section of a coursing meeting. How can coursing meetings be monitored if officers in the wildlife section fail to attend the meetings? Further, will the Minister agree that a letter from the Irish Embassy of 18 August 1987 to the World Society for the Protection of Animals — I can give the Minister a copy if he is not aware of it — states that the release of hares into the wild is strictly supervised by officers of the Forestry and Wildlife Service? Can the Minister now confirm that that is not the case, that that does not happen?
In reply to the first question, the Deputy has referred to reports. The fact that wildlife rangers did not attend one coursing meeting does not mean that there are not visits to coursing meetings and reports made available to the wildlife section of my Department. On the contrary, we attend as many as possible, taking into account the resources available and the multifunctional jobs that must be done by the wildlife rangers. As regards the letter of 18 August, I do not know what Embassy the Deputy is talking about.
Our own Embassy in Washington.
I have not seen that letter. Perhaps my Department have it. As far as I am concerned I am satisfied that our Department are fulfilling their role under the legislation that obliges them to operate and supervise the various wildlife activities in our country.
To clarify the point, is the Minister's policy to ensure that hares once coursed are released into the wilds?
If his policy is to ensure that, what procedure does he use to ensure it?
My policy is to ensure that wildlife are treated properly. I do not lay down the rules under which coursing matches take place. They are laid down by the Irish Coursing Club under the direction of Bord na gCon. Specific rules and regulations pertaining to coursing are agreed between the Irish Coursing Club and Bord na gCon. Those rules are published and available to the public, and I and my Department are satisfied that these rules are adhered to.
Question No. 13. A brief supplementary, Deputy.
I had two questions down.
I have given the Deputy quite some latitude on them.
I have asked only two supplementaries so far.
There were more than that.
Is the Minister aware that in the report in The Corkman on 6 November 1987 in relation to the Macroom meeting about which I have a question down, the secretary of the Macroom Coursing Club admitted to re-coursing hares at that meeting, which was not, of course, attended by a wildlife officer? Is he aware of that statement, is he concerned at it, and what action does he intend to take in relation to it?
I am not aware of the statement. I have not seen The Corkman. If the Deputy has any allegation or complaint he wishes to put forward to my Department I will be only too delighted to have it fully investigated. Again I refer the Deputy to the rules which have been agreed and are laid down for the Irish Coursing Club under the Greyhound Industry Act and supervised by Bord na gCon. I suggest that he study those rules to see if there is any conflict in them and if he has a specific complaint I will have it fully investigated.
Deputy Gregory, I am anxious to take another question.
As I have raised a number of points and the Minister has no knowledge of any of them, does he feel that his Department have not the resources to monitor coursing meetings? He is not aware of things that are a matter of public knowledge. Will he try to make his endeavours in this regard a little more effective in future in the interests of wildlife, as he said he is concerned about it? Finally, what responsibility has the Minister regarding the implementation of the rules he wants me to study? He is the Minister. What responsibility has he in relation to ensuring that those rules are implemented properly?
I have answered the last question on a number of occasions already in this question. I have full knowledge and my Department are fully aware of everything that happens in the wildlife section in this country and, indeed, outside the country, although our remit does not extend to Washington or to other magazines or things like that.
(Limerick East): That is a fairly big claim.
I have not had the opportunity to study the documents the Deputy refers to. Perhaps he will make them available to us. I am satisfied that we have sufficient resources to do the job under the legislation we are obliged to operate under. If the Deputy has any complaints or any documentation he wishes us to study, examine and report on, I will be only too delighted to accept them and proceed with that investigation.
May I make one point to the Minister?
Sorry, I am going on to Deputy Kemmy's question. There must be some finality at some stage.
The Embassy in Washington contacted the Minister's Department——
I have called Question No. 13.
