Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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Section 22(9) provides that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government may grant a licence to a person to hunt, capture or humanely kill a protected wild bird of a species specified in the licence.

In so far as the granting of licences for hunting is concerned, I presume the Deputy's question refers to section 29 of the Wildlife Act 1976, as amended, which provides for the granting of licences to hunt exempted wild mammals and protected birds.

Records relating to such licences were not fully computerised until 2003 and the attached table outlines the figures for firearm certificates with endorsement under section 29 of the Wildlife Act in those years. Firearms certificates, as the Deputy is aware, are granted annually and the number of firearm certificates endorsed in 2000, 2001 and 2002 would be of a similar order to those in 2003 and 2004.