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

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have been (1) arrested, (2) prosecuted, and (3) convicted, for offences related to hare coursing in each of the last five years; and what assessment have they made of trends in illegal hare coursing during this period.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Hare coursing remains a national wildlife crime priority and is one of the offences for which police forces most frequently seek support from the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). Defra is providing £530,000 to the NWCU in 2026/27, strengthening its intelligence, data analysis and financial investigation capabilities to help disrupt criminal networks, identify illicit profits, and bring offenders to justice.

New sentencing guidelines for hare coursing came into force on 1 June 2026. These should help ensure the courts fully recognise the significant harm and intimidation this serious crime poses to wildlife, farmers, and others across rural areas.

This Government cannot confirm offending levels as hare coursing is not a ‘notifiable crime’. Hare coursing can also be ‘hidden’ under notifiable offences such as criminal damage if it has taken place as part of the same incident.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with police forces and rural organisations to ensure that the powers introduced under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 are being used effectively to deter offenders of hare coursing and secure prosecutions.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Hare coursing remains a national wildlife crime priority and is one of the offences for which police forces most frequently seek support from the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). Defra is providing £530,000 to the NWCU in 2026/27, strengthening its intelligence, data analysis and financial investigation capabilities to help disrupt criminal networks, identify illicit profits, and bring offenders to justice.

New sentencing guidelines for hare coursing came into force on 1 June 2026. These should help ensure the courts fully recognise the significant harm and intimidation this serious crime poses to wildlife, farmers, and others across rural areas.

This Government cannot confirm offending levels as hare coursing is not a ‘notifiable crime’. Hare coursing can also be ‘hidden’ under notifiable offences such as criminal damage if it has taken place as part of the same incident.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of hare coursing on rural communities; and what steps they are taking to strengthen enforcement and protect wildlife.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Hare coursing remains a national wildlife crime priority and is one of the offences for which police forces most frequently seek support from the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). Defra is providing £530,000 to the NWCU in 2026/27, strengthening its intelligence, data analysis and financial investigation capabilities to help disrupt criminal networks, identify illicit profits, and bring offenders to justice.

New sentencing guidelines for hare coursing came into force on 1 June 2026. These should help ensure the courts fully recognise the significant harm and intimidation this serious crime poses to wildlife, farmers, and others across rural areas.

This Government cannot confirm offending levels as hare coursing is not a ‘notifiable crime’. Hare coursing can also be ‘hidden’ under notifiable offences such as criminal damage if it has taken place as part of the same incident.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Malta about the implementation of the recommendations of the independent public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia relating to the protection of journalists, media freedom and the rule of law.

Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK regularly discusses media freedom, the protection of journalists and the rule of law with the government and interlocutors in Malta. In October 2025, Our British High Commissioner discussed the continuing legacy of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia and Malta's reform record with the Maltese Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

In March 2026, the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Americas, visited Malta and gave an interview to the Times of Malta in which he called for full implementation of the public inquiry recommendations. He met journalists, civil society representatives, and the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation to discuss media freedom and the implementation of the inquiry's recommendations. After the September 2026 verdict in the trial of the individual accused of commissioning the assassination, the UK and Finland, as Co-chairs of the Media Freedom Coalition, note the outcome and called for the full and timely implementation of the public inquiry's recommendations.

Our High Commission in Malta consistently supports independent media in Malta. As part of this work, we have brought together Maltese journalists and journalism students to learn from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. We have also facilitated an annual Daphne Caruana Galizia memorial lecture to highlight the importance of press freedom.

Found: September 2026 2 pm Watch the meeting Members present: Baroness Coussins (The Chair); Lord Farmer; Baroness Helic