Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

The tenor of the debate on the Bill is in contrast to the previous debate in 2010 when a similar amendment was brought forward and the Opposition, now the Government, threw brickbats at the Government in regard to it. It was controversial at the time but this debate is a complete reversal of that. It is happy-clappy time and everything is wonderful. I want to record that.

The Minister will be very much aware of the controversy that surrounded this issue. It had reached the stage where serious allegations were being made against the Garda authorities by members of the regional and national game councils who believed they were being inhibited in pursuing their sport simply because the gardaí were taking a negative approach, and a hostile attitude in some instances, to applications being made.

We must remember that following the passing of the original legislation hunters were hunting illegally under the then law. That is the reason for the amendment. For a number of months they were not legally entitled to pursue their sport and, as a result, the interaction with the Garda proved to be very difficult.

The Minister did not make any reference to that in his Second Stage contribution but he might give some indication as to whether that controversy has abated and that the relationship between the hunting community and the Garda-----