§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they plan to ban live hare coursing in Northern Ireland. [HL4844]
§ Baroness AmosThere are no immediate plans to impose a ban on live hare coursing in Northern Ireland.
In a recent news release it was announced that the Department of the Environment would shortly be initiating consultation on a proposal to make a temporary special protection order to prevent the killing and taking of Irish hares. A copy of this news release has been placed in the Library of the House.
This proposal is designed to assist the department to achieve an objective of a NI species action plan to double the population of the Irish hare by 2010.
In order to help achieve this objective, an application from Dungannon and District Coursing Club to net hares for the purpose of hare coursing has recently been refused.