Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. We have passed on specific allegations to the Minister and we will pass on more. I am sure the people watching will later on after this.

The illegal trafficking of hares between coursing clubs has always been a problem. As the Minister stated, in theory, the uninjured hares are supposed to be released but quite often they are caught again and traded on, which is something that we want to stamp out.

My understanding is that the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, mammal expert has indicated support for the use of microchipping.

It is relatively cheap to do, as Dogs Trust will do it for roughly €4.50. I would be keen to see a compulsory system, even if only on a pilot basis at this stage. It would be a step in the right direction. Ideally, I would like to see coursing banned outright. The public would support that as well. Audiences are diminishing and it is an area that is dying out. In the meantime, we should be doing everything we can to ensure that the law is upheld and microchipping is cost-effective. The National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, seem to be on for it and I am really hopeful that we could engage. Were the Minister in a position to give me the name of a person the groups could contact or to whom they could make their views known, that would be great.

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