Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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51. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider not issuing a licence for the capture of hares for hare coursing given the stress caused to the hares and the risk of spreading of disease among the hares; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33077/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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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.

While the regulation of hare coursing is not under my statutory control, licences are required by the Irish Coursing Club under the terms of the Wildlife Acts on behalf of their affiliated clubs to facilitate the netting and tagging of hares for closed park meetings. The licences granted by my Department in such instances include a range of conditions in relation to coursing hares which are designed to provide as much protection as possible to the conservation status of the hare.

My Department has received an application from the Irish Coursing Club for a licences to capture and tag hares for the forthcoming 2022/23 hare coursing season. This is being considered at present, and a decision will be made on the application in due course.