Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Keeling and wish him well in his new role, which is of vital importance to the overall industry. We are all very supportive of him and are here to help in every way we can because we all want to see our position as world leaders in the breeding sector and our fantastic worldwide reputation as great horse people and a country that excels in that sector maintained. I worked in Punchestown racecourse for four years and know all too well the importance of and the impact that racing, both national hunt and flat, has on the local economy. We always got the half day from school for the Punchestown festival. It is something that everyone in Kildare is raised with and aware of. Come the summertime, the flat season kicks in at The Curragh.

I have a slight concern about the numbers attending races. What are Mr. Keeling's views on that? Obviously, there are economic circumstances in the country that are beyond the control of HRI but how can we ensure we increase the number of people attending races? I completely agree with his point that we need to achieve a long-term, secure funding base arising from the change in the betting tax regime, but it is also key that people attend races for the industry to flourish. It is up to us here to implement the change in the betting tax regime sooner rather than later and secure that funding in some way to ensure the industry can grow and make the return it does. Too often, people refer to this as a sport. This is why the move back to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine was so important because this is an industry. The figures stand up. Between 16,000 and 17,000 people are employed in the industry, 4,000 of which are based in Kildare. I am aware of how crucial this is with a value to the economy of over €1 billion.

What are Mr. Keeling's views on the commercial nature of the industry and the HRI given his business background? It is very exciting to have someone coming from Mr. Keeling's background where he has grown a business into a multinational. I am sure he has ideas about how HRI can become more commercial and build on the great work done in the past by those before him. I know work is proceeding regarding the overall cost savings between the Turf Club and the HRI. While we need changes in the betting regime, we also need to ensure we do things as efficiently as possible. That is a two-pronged approach that Mr. Keeling must oversee. There is no doubt the funding regime is important but we must be able to show that we are getting maximum efficiency and bang for our buck. The Minister needs to be able to stand over that to deliver the State funding. That has been the case up to now and the Minister deserves great recognition for having secured horse and greyhound funding over the past couple of years in extremely difficult financial times.

The Indecon report set a roadmap for the future. I am interested in hearing Mr. Keeling's views on the recommendations therein or what the report showed up. He said this industry is key in helping the country to recover. I always say that we do not need to reinvent the wheel in getting our country back on its feet. We need to concentrate on things we are good at. This is an industry in which we have expertise and for which we have the skills, climate, soil, horses and, most importantly, people. We need to ensure we protect that and do not take our position in the world, particularly in breeding, for granted. Mr. Keeling mentioned high-net-worth individuals who invest in and keep this industry going. Does he have any concerns that we depend on very few of them? How do we ensure the new batch of high-net-worth individuals invest in Ireland and not somewhere else?

What are Mr. Keeling's views on the tote and whether there is much that can be done to increase its outcome? I agree with his comments about his predecessor, Denis Brosnan, and the role he played. His commitment to the industry in excess of 20 years has been phenomenal and he is well deserving of a break. I wish Mr. Keeling well in his role. The committee will support him and will him on during what will be a very exciting and challenging time.