Noel Dempsey
Ceist:78 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the action, if any, he intends to take to deal with the widescale poaching of deer in County Wicklow. [4085/97]
Written Answers. - Deer Poaching.
Under the Wildlife Act, 1976, deer are a protected species and as such cannot be hunted without a licence issued under the Act. Poaching or illegal hunting of deer can take many forms such as hunting without a licence, hunting on lands for which the hunter does not hold permission to hunt or hunting at night using lamps etc. It is the policy of the national parks and wildlife service of my Department to prosecute where evidence of illegal deer hunting is available. In Wicklow, where forestry areas provide the habitat for significant numbers of deer, there is anecdotal evidence of a perceptible increase in the poaching problem. Anti-poaching patrols by NPWS ranger staff have been stepped up which together with the ongoing assistance and co-operation of the Garda Síochána will hopefully provide the necessary evidence for prosecutions to be brought before the courts. In this regard, I will be proposing that the penalties currently prescribed for offences such as illegal hunting under the 1976 Act, will be increased substantially under the terms of the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill, 1997 which I hope to publish shortly.