Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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173. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the NPWS for the past number of years has published the details of the released locations of hares on their website contrary to a press release issued by his Department on 12 November 2020; if his attention has been further drawn to the distress which the subsequent illegal hunting causes to farmers, livestock and bloodstock; if the NPWS will be instructed not to publish such details in future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37742/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Details of locations where hares have been released by coursing clubs have not in fact been published on the website of the National Parks and Wildlife (NPWS) of my Department since the beginning of the 2018/19 coursing season.  Not only did my Department not make public the locations where hares were released by coursing clubs over the weekend of 7th and 8th November, it was not made aware of those locations until Friday last, November 13th, I understand.   Historic data and material which had been available online previously, on the basis of reports from the Irish Coursing Club, has now had all historic hare release location information redacted from it, in response to recent concerns raised in this regard.

I would like to make it clear that the issue of wildlife crime is a priority one for my Department.   The NPWS continues to pursue this matter as resources allow and has achieved a number of successful prosecutions on wildlife crime over recent years including in respect of illegal hare hunting.  I recently announced my commitment to the establishment of a dedicated Wildlife Crime Unit in my Department in 2021 which will be a significant step forward in addressing this issue.