MARY LOU MCDONALD has said Sinn Féin will not support a People Before Profit bill to ban hare coursing in the Dáil later this week.

McDonald said the party’s position is to “support strict regulation rather than a ban”, as she argued that prohibition could drive hare coursing underground.

“Those proposing the ban need to consider if that happens, what are the consequences of it, including unintended consequences driving it underground and beyond regulation,” McDonald said when speaking on Newstalk’s Claire Byrne programme on Monday.

The Sinn Féin leader also sought to make the argument that the issue is relatively minor in Irish politics, claiming that it is not a “quintessential issue that decides your politics or typifies your politics of whether you’re on the right or the left”.

A vote on whether to progress the PBP legislation is due to take place on Wednesday.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have confirmed they are set to vote against progressing the bill, and will be imposing a party whip on TDs.

The Social Democrats, the Greens and Labour will all be backing the bill.

Ireland is one of only three countries in the European Union that still permits hare coursing, alongside Portugal and Spain.

On Newstalk on Monday, McDonald also responded to a report in the Irish Daily Mail that she had given a positive response to a party councillor regarding a request to block any motion on animal hunting in the future.

She said she was “at a loss”, with the Co Waterford councillor in question, Jim Griffin, confirming on local radio WLR on Monday morning that he had not spoken to the party leader directly.

Instead, said Griffin, he had spoken to a party official, and he apologised for stating he had received the promise from McDonald.

At the party’s ard fheis in April, members voted to make a ban on fox hunting party policy, but it came after a contentious debate.

McDonald said on Monday that the party is “not obsessed” with hare coursing and fox hunting, describing them as “sensitive” issues that need to be properly discussed.

“These are issues that have to be dealt with but they are by no means to the forefront of Sinn Féin’s political programme or our priorities or our concerns,” the Dublin Central TD said.