Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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1696. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of reports of breaches of licences for hare coursing in the previous hare coursing season. [31482/15]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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1697. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will report on investigations into breaches of hare coursing licences in the previous hare coursing season; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31483/15]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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1711. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason a club (details supplied) was not prosecuted for breaching the 2014-2015 hare netting licence conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32241/15]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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1712. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason a club (details supplied) was not prosecuted in respect of hare licences and certification requirements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32242/15]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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1713. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason a club (details supplied) was not prosecuted for lack of co-operation with National Parks and Wildlife Service conservation rangers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32243/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1696, 1697 and 1711 to 1713, inclusive, together.

Under the terms of the Wildlife Acts, licences are required by the Irish Coursing Club, covering their affiliated coursing clubs, if they wish to capture or tag hares for use at regulated hare coursing meetings. I recently gave approval to the granting of the annual licence to the Irish Coursing Club allowing its affiliated coursing clubs to net and tag hares for the purpose of hare coursing for the 2015/2016 coursing season. I should point out that I also decided to sanction two of the coursing clubs, which are the subject of two of Deputy O’Sullivan’s Questions, due to infringements of the conditions of the licences at coursing meetings held during the 2014/15 season. These sanctions, which were imposed on foot of reports from regional staff of the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department, entail a reduction in the number of courses run by both clubs at their next meetings compared to the number of courses run at last year’s meetings.

Regional staff of the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department will continue to attend coursing meetings during the 2015/16 season, as resources allow, to monitor compliance with the conditions of the licences.