Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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205. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of hares killed or which subsequently died at coursing meetings during October and November 2013; if this represents an increase on the average at these meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51878/13]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Licences were issued by my Department to the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) on behalf of their affiliated clubs under the Wildlife Acts to facilitate the tagging and capturing of hares for the purpose of hare coursing for the 2013/14 coursing season.

The ICC provides reports to my Department which include data relating to hare fatalities at coursing meetings. In addition, officials of the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department attend meetings as resources allow. On the basis of the number of reports received to date from both the ICC and Departmental officials since the beginning of the coursing season at the end of September, a total of 5 hares died at 16 coursing meetings either through a combination of natural causes or were euthanised following injuries. This figure compares to 21 fatalities at these same meetings in 2012 during the previous coursing season.