Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In terms of members serving an eight-year term on a board, many programmes are for three years with the first year involved in getting started, the second year involved in it working and the third years related to finishing it up. In providing for a person to serve an eight-term on taking over as chief executive, are the representatives of the view that the person would have a year or two to build up the position and at the end of the term they will have a year to prepare for leaving it, as it is written in black and white that the person will be out the door at the end of that term? Will the task of the chief executive be a little like that of the President of America, who is fighting elections all the time and not having the time to do any work? I would like to get the representatives' views on that point. If board membership is for a four-year term, two consecutive terms is fairly short, whereas if it was a five-year term, members would serve for ten years. I would be interested to hear their view on that aspect.

The representatives of both groups mentioned the issue of money. The betting Bill does not come under the remit of this committee, rather it comes under the remit of finance committee. There is a need for money to be invested in the industry. It is a massive industry throughout the country and it is one we are particularly good at. We have a good deal of corporate knowledge and experience, and we also have the land. It is a very good native industry but it has got a bad press during the past 20 years. People do not realise how many people depend on it. In the context of realpolitik, what are the representatives' views on funding the industry totally out of an increased betting tax and using part of the revenue that would be derived from it to assist in funding the greyhound industry? Do they envisage that is the way forward on the finance side? There is no point in them saying they want grants for the development of racecourses to be subject to provision and proper facilities unless there is money available to invest in them. I was interested in what they said and I would be like to have more information related to the lack of investment in racecourses in recent years. The representatives seem to indicate that the facilities at racecourse are dilapidated. I do not go to too many racecourses but I must say that Ballinrobe is in great nick.