Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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25. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the recruitment of additional conservation rangers to monitor animal welfare issues at hare coursing events is likely to take effect in view of the fact that the new season is under way. [36868/16]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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This question comes against the backdrop of the fact that the coursing season has been under way since last month. Last year, NPWS officials only visited 17 of the 75 official events. When I asked the Minister of State about it last month, he told me they had not inspected any official events at all this season, pointing out that only eight had taken place. I remind the Minister of State that is eight out of 70 which is over one tenth of the coursing calendar. When will the Minister of State recruit extra NPWS officers to monitor hare coursing events?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I am advised that the recruitment campaign for conservation rangers was advertised by the Public Appointments Service on 11 November 2016, on www.publicjobs.ie, and is open for applications until 1 December. It is anticipated that the first tranche of appointments - up to six in total - will be made from the newly formed panel during the first quarter of 2017. The successful candidates from this competition will be deployed throughout the country and will undertake the full range of duties associated with the role of ranger. Further appointments will be made from the panel, as required, subject to the required pay and other resources being in place. The panel will remain in existence until the end of February 2019. The competition is open to all members of the public.

As the hare coursing season for 2016-2017 extends from the end of September 2016 to the end of February 2017, the first tranche of additional conservation rangers may not be in situby the end of the hare coursing season. However, I am confident that the 64 rangers currently employed by my Department will be sufficient to meet the requirements arising in this area for the current season.

Issues relating to animal welfare are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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It is very unfortunate that we have received confirmation that the new officers will not be in place. I disagree with the Minister of State. The existing NPWS officers are incapable of covering the events and we know that because the statistics prove it. There have been a number of very disturbing incidents already this season. Last month in Loughrea in Galway online footage showed a hare trapped, pushed and pinned to the ground by dogs before a courser runs in to pull the animal's battered body away. In County Offaly, there is online footage of a hare being hit by dogs, pinned to the ground and subjected to a long battering. In County Limerick, only last week there was an appalling incident of a hare hit by two greyhounds, desperately trying to escape, caught, mauled, pulled away by grown men, taken and thrown into a wooden box in the middle of the field. In Rathdowney, there were horrific revelations that three dogs broke into the hare coursing compound and mauled and butchered about 78 hares in the course of this week alone with the dogs having to be put down. This is an industry out of control. It is derogatory to call it a sport. It is barbarous and needs to be regulated. If we do not have extra officers employed to deal with broad functions, we need to have them diverted to this area urgently.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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When the Deputy raised this issue last month, I went back to the Department and said I wanted these jobs advertised. I made sure they were advertised. To be fair to our rangers, we have a shortage of staff. We had over 3 million visitors into this country last year and these rangers have to deal with habitats, protected species and all sorts of work. They need the rangers. On the issue the Deputy raised about the cruelty to animals, officials from my Department attended both of the meetings that the Deputy talked about. There is footage there of what actually happened and there will be discussions with the coursing club about this.

I am giving Deputy Clare Daly a commitment to the effect that when the report is finalised, we will give her a copy of it. My officials were there and they witnessed what actually happened. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has responsibility for welfare issues.

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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Obviously, I am pleased that we are recruiting new officers. I am unsure at which two of the three events to which I adverted officers were in attendance, but I am pleased we will get the report. It is a change from the answer on the previous occasion. In that vein, I am appealing to the Minister of State in light of the revelations about the events that occurred in Rathdowney this week and the horrific plight of the hares. There are stories of 78 hares being mauled, utter carnage and three dogs having to be put down. Will the Minister of State have this matter investigated by National Parks and Wildlife Service officers?

I understand the scheduled coursing meeting for December has now been postponed. Shockingly, it has been rescheduled for January. How in God's name could a coursing club allow something like that to happen? It did not have its hares protected properly and it allowed the dogs to carry on that activity. I am calling on the Minister of State to have this matter investigated and to have the licence withdrawn if the stories are verified. It would send an urgent signal to show that these issues have to be addressed. This is a protected species and it has been undermined by the barbarity to which I refer. This issue is well past its sell-by date and it needs urgent attention.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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My Department officials were at the coursing and they have footage. This is being investigated. They will be speaking to those involved.

Some clubs have broken the laws. Last year, sanctions were issued to two clubs, those in Thurles and Doon. The Doon meeting was eventually cancelled. I gather that other coursing events have been cancelled as well.

Deputy Clare Daly is aware that the rules and regulations apply to the actual events. Various rules and regulations have to be obeyed by the coursing clubs. If they do not, they will not get licences. I will ensure that the Deputy gets a copy of the report on the cases she mentioned when it is completed.