Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the number of schools in England and Wales that operate beagle packs, and (2) the extent to which such packs are being used to pursue or kill hares; and what plans they have to review the adequacy of the current regulatory and enforcement framework for these activities.

The department has not undertaken an assessment of the number of schools operating beagle packs or the extent to which such packs may be being used to kill hares. The Hunting Act 2004 makes it an offence to hunt a wild mammal with dogs, except where it is carried out in accordance with the exemptions in the Act, and completely bans hare coursing. In addition, the previous Government made changes to address illegal hare coursing through a package of measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. This broadened the circumstances in which police can investigate and bring charges for hare coursing related activity.