Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 12 Feb 1997

Vol. 474 No. 7

Written Answers. - Prosecutions Under Wildlife Act.

John Ellis

Ceist:

75 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the number of prosecutions which have been initiated under the Wildlife Acts in each of the years from 1990 to 1996; the breaches of the law for which these prosecutions were initiated; and the number of prosecutions in respect of counties Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Longford and Roscommon as promised in his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 92 on 14 November 1996. [3940/97]

Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (Mr. M. Higgins)

I regret that the information sought by the Deputy has only been compiled very recently.

Prosecutions taken under the Wildlife Act, 1976 by the National Parks Wildlife Service are as follows:

Year	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	Total
Prosecutions	41	38	40	36	38	22	24	239

These prosecutions were taken under sections 21, 22, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 44, 45, 46, 47, 51 and 69 of the Wildlife Act, 1976.

Of the the 239 prosecutions taken, 26 prosecutions were initiated in respect of counties Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Longford and Roscommon as follows:

Year	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	Total
Sligo	2	—	1	—	—	1	—	4
Leitrim	1	2	—	—	—	—	1	4
Cavan	1	3	—	—	—	3	—	7
Longford	7	—	3	—	—	—	—	10
Roscommon	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	1
Total	11	5	4	1	—	4	1	26