Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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555. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans for improving the monitoring and invigilation of coursing clubs in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52674/17]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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While my Department does not have resources to provide 100% attendance at coursing meetings, it endeavours to attend as many meetings as possible having regard to the various demands on its staffing complement. During the 2016/17 coursing season, conservation rangers of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department attended seventeen coursing meetings and the same number of meetings was monitored during the 2015/16 season. It is my intention that a greater number of coursing events will be monitored during the 2017/18 season, which extends from the end of September 2017 to 28th February 2018, than in the previous season. During this season to date seventeen meetings have already been monitored by NPWS officials.