Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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1755. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of deer hunting letting agreements that were issued in the past ten years; the number of deer hunting letting agreements that were issued to north Tipperary resident hunters during the same period; the number of the lettings that were issued to incumbent lease holders or stalking permit holders; the number of leases that have been issued to same parties on more than one occasion; the number of hunters that were authorised to hunt on more than two lettings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33341/14]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Deer are protected under the Wildlife Acts and may only be hunted under an annual licence granted by my Department. Applicants for deer hunting licences are required to provide information to my Department regarding the lands over which they are entitled to hunt or have sporting rights. However, my Department does not approve these local agreements and therefore does not have the data requested by the Deputy. Some applicants for deer hunting licences would have permissions to hunt on more than two locations but the number of such applicants is not readily available. My Department has issued some 4,500 deer hunting licences annually in recent years, of which 310 licences were issued in the 2013/14 season to residents in County Tipperary.