Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

This Bill repeals section 26(1) of the Wildlife Act 1976. When that legislation was discussed in this House in 1975, the then Minister for Lands, Mr. T. J. Fitzpatrick, made the case for that section as being very much about wildlife conservation. It meant the Minister and his Department had control over the hunting of stag and other wildlife covered by the section. Deputy Michael D. Higgins made the point that it is a funny way of going about legislation, removing the Minister's own right to licence and control a particular activity.

Is the Minister opening up loopholes? That is why he introduced the other provisions of the Bill that he must now amend for the hunting of deer generally. The Minister would have been better to have retained his power to licence this activity because he would have had control and could have issued licences according to the provisions introduced when Deputy Higgins was Minister, where he looked after the conservation of the deer, their safety, health and welfare, making sure they were not killed and that dogs did not get too near them, and regulating the type of vehicle they were transported in. The Minister is giving up a power that was introduced to conserve animals.

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