Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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45. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on the repeat capture of hares for hare coursing; and the measures she will take to prevent this occurring. [40718/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The control of live hare coursing, including the operation of individual coursing meetings and managing the use of hares for that activity, is carried out under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958, which is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. My responsibility relates to the conservation status of the hare.

In August this year, my Department issued licences under the Wildlife Acts to the Irish Coursing Club, covering its affiliated coursing clubs, to capture and tag hares for use at regulated hare coursing meetings for the 2017/18 coursing season, which extends from the end of September 2017 to the end of February 2018. 

There are 22 conditions associated with the licences issued to the Irish Coursing Club which have been developed and refined over the year.  One of the conditions requires that hares must be released back into the wild during daylight hours after the coursing has concluded unless otherwise agreed, in advance, with the relevant National Parks and Wildlife Service officials.

It is also a condition of the licence that in all matters relating to coursing there must be full compliance with the Directives, Instructions and Guidance Notes issued by the Irish Coursing Club.  One of the provisions of the Irish Coursing Club in that regard is that hares earmarked and released may not be taken up and coursed at any subsequent park meeting.

Therefore, while there may be a possibility that a released hare could be recaptured for a future coursing meeting, the conditions require that that hare should not be coursed again. The conditions of future licenses issued by my Department in respect of coursing meetings will be kept under review in light of any issues brought to my attention by National Parks and Wildlife officials or by others and I will make any changes that I consider appropriate.