Paul Bradford (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the two guests. I am not a member of the committee but when I saw that both delegates were presenting their case and cause this morning, I said I had to come along. As the Chairman stated, this is not an exam. We are not giving the delegates marks. Mr. Dempsey is probably safe enough regarding the job.

Knowing Mr. Dempsey's background and his innovations in agriculture in journalism, I wonder what catches his eye this morning. I was very interested when he mentioned the possibility of extending his brief to provide thoroughbred breeding advice, which would be of use to farm families on suitable land. Under the Act, such a dimension to the stud's work is allowable but it may not have been concentrated on much in the past. Will Mr. Dempsey expand on it? The core role of the Irish National Stud is being fulfilled very successfully, as outlined. Anybody with an interest in the broader horse-racing industry must always have the aim of trying to involve an increasing number of people in selling the racing and breeding industries' attractions to as broad a public as possible. We need to get new people on board. I would like to hear Mr. Dempsey elaborate on his role in this regard. His role will be very interesting and key. I look forward to hearing his thoughts.

Some 115,000 visitors go to the Japanese Gardens annually. We must admit that figure is impressive. However, one should consider that thousands of people visit Kildare Village every weekend to spend good money there. Over the course of 12 months, therefore, millions of people pass by the stud. While 115,000 is very impressive, it is a figure that Mr. Dempsey could almost hope to double during his term in office. Some 12 months or two years ago, there were interesting television advertisements for the Irish National Stud. I have not seen them; perhaps I am watching the wrong channels. Will Mr. Dempsey talk about this? We should not be satisfied with the figure of 115,000 as we could increase it very significantly given the road network and the geographical position of the stud.

I wish Mr. Dempsey well and I look forward to what he will bring to the table. His appointment is very exciting for the Irish National Stud.