Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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122. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reasons the National Parks and Wildlife Service issued the licensed killing of an individual pine marten; the reason no other non-lethal alternative was applied to this animal; where this killing took place and in which county; the other licences for the killing of pine martens that have been granted in the past five years by the NPWS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20798/14]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 23 of 17 April 2014 which sets out the reasoning for my Department’s decision to licence the killing of a single pine marten in this particular instance. The trapping and/or killing of pine martens is carefully licensed by my Department. A decision to grant permission to kill a pine marten would only be taken after a detailed application has been received and the matter assessed under Section 42 of the Wildlife Acts. Such decisions are very rare, and only one such permission has been granted in the last five years, for a premises in County Mayo.