Nora Owen
Ceist:74 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Finance if rangers from the wildlife service attend all hare coursing meetings; if not, whether they are obliged to attend; and if so, the reasons some meetings may not have been attended.
Written Answers. - Hare Coursing.
The regulation of coursing meetings is not a function of the Wildlife Service and consequently Wildlife Rangers are not obliged to attend all coursing meetings. They are employed to enforce the provisions of the Wildlife Act, 1976, and where resources permit, attend coursing meetings to ensure that there are no breaches of that Act. However, attendance at any given meeting is subject to operational requirements.
Nora Owen
Ceist:75 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Finance the plans, if any, he has to amend the Wildlife Act, 1976 with regard to hare coursing.
Coursing is regulated by the Irish Coursing Club under the terms of the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958. The Wildlife Act, 1976 provides for regulation of the Hunting Season during which coursing may take place and for the capture of live hares for coursing purposes.
There are no proposals to amend the Wildlife Act in relation to these matters at this time.
Colm M. Hilliard
Ceist:76 Mr. Hilliard asked the Minister for Finance the basis on which it is deemed necessary to increase Vote 7 in the Estimates for the Public Service 1993; and the counties which received grants in 1992.
I assume that the Deputy is referring to grants to small projects made in the counties of the Western Development Area from the Western Development Fund. Approvals to the relevant counties in 1992 were as follows:
|
£ |
|
|
Donegal |
69,965 |
|
Sligo |
62,377 |
|
Leitrim |
40,900 |
|
Cavan |
55,223 |
|
Monaghan |
82,075 |
|
Roscommon |
43,460 |
|
Longford |
51,375 |
|
Mayo |
95,330 |
|
Galway |
191,550 |
|
Kerry |
63,990 |
|
West Cork |
103,281 |
|
Clare/West Limerick |
30,032 |
These approvals relate to Subhead G of the Vote for my Department.
Subhead F provides for the administrative expenses of the Western County Development Teams. The increase in the provision for 1993 arises from increases in the cost of these expenses and the remuneration of certain members of the county development staff.
Colm M. Hilliard
Ceist:77 Mr. Hilliard asked the Minister for Finance the purpose for which the sum of £1.25 million is provided in 1993 under Vote 7.H in the Estimates for the Public Service 1993; and the purpose for which £977,000 was spent in 1992.
Following the termination of the Exchequer funded special loans scheme in 1980 a scheme (referred to as the Development Finance Scheme) was agreed between ICC Bank and the Department of Finance.
Under the scheme, the Exchequer accepted 40 per cent of the credit risk on certain high risk loans, (for industrial development purposes in the manufacturing and tourism sectors), advanced by ICC Bank from its own funds. On normal commercial criteria, ICC Bank would not otherwise have advanced loans of the amounts involved to their clients.
The scheme was terminated at the end of October 1990.
The expenditure of £977,000 in 1992 covers the losses attributable to the Exchequer, incurred by ICC Bank under this scheme for the year ended 31 October, 1991. The 1993 provision of £1,250,000 provides for the losses attributable to the Exchequer which are expected to arise under the scheme for the year ended 31 October 1992.