Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The perception can sometimes be some distance from reality. I thank Mr. Keeling and Mr. Kavanagh for appearing before the joint committee today. In their submissions they asked that this legislation be enacted as quickly as possible. This is the first time this committee has been asked to examine legislation at the heads of Bill stage, when it is essentially a White Paper, and we will report to the Department and the Minister as soon as possible. We adjourn today until 16 September and on that day we hope representatives of the Turf Club, the Association of Irish Racecourses, Bord na gCon and the Racegoers Consultative Forum will attend. There might be one or two meetings after that but we hope to report to the Minister by the end of September. Regarding matters for our report, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, ITBA, mentioned the foal levy recently and it is a simple issue, as is the size of the board. There are other recommendations for amendments to the heads of the Bill that we will raise.

We ran out of time before the recess but we will conclude this process as quickly as possible. I hope the Seanad will conclude the Betting (Amendment) Bill as soon as possible because one Bill cannot be discussed without the other. One can talk about structures but they are only of use when there is sufficient money, otherwise they gather dust. I wish everyone a good break and I thank the secretariat, broadcasting, Journal Office and library service staff. I thank those who have helped the committee and will continue to do so.