Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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268. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of a statutory instrument (details supplied) relating to hare coursing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5232/21]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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277. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if an organisation (details supplied) and its members will be instructed to immediately release all hares currently in captivity for the purposes of hare coursing in view of the High Court ruling that hare coursing should not resume during level 5 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5392/21]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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278. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the length of time that hares may be held in captivity for the purposes of hare coursing. [5393/21]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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291. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if all of the hares under the control of an organisation (details supplied) have been released given the decision of the High Court in relation to the Covid-19 restrictions and hare coursing; if not, when they are due to be released; and if there is a time limit for the length of time the organisation can keep a hare in captivity. [5562/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 268, 277, 278 and 291 together.

My Department has been informed by the Irish Coursing Club that all hares that had been held in captivity by its affiliated clubs have now been released.

As regards hare release by coursing clubs generally, the current license granted to the Irish Coursing Club to net hares under Section 34 of the Wildlife Acts provides that “All hares must be released back into the wild during daylight hours at the conclusion of the meeting or the day after the coursing meeting has concluded, unless otherwise agreed with the relevant National Parks and Wildlife Service staff beforehand”.

It would not be appropriate for me to comment on any matter which is currently before the Courts.