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

I have some comments to make on the presentation. I refer to the point made about membership of the board. Every group present has been vocal about the issue of board membership and it is a factor we must consider as part of our report and recommendations. There is a need for a balance between having good representation and a board that is unwieldy and unworkable. We take on board the views expressed in the presentation. With the owner, the racegoer and the punter are the people who pay money into the system, which is vital in to maintain the industry in its current form.

I note the point made about the need for services to be provided to a high set standard. I refer to the point made by Mr. Paddy Walsh that good investment has resulted in fine facilities around the country, although a few will need further work. I hope this will happen in the near future. It is important to achieve and maintain the highest possible standards.

I refer to the horse and greyhound fund and hope, too, that the betting tax will bring in significant revenues to provide a bigger cake with more slices to go around. It was suggested the horse and greyhound fund could be used to provide all of the capital funding required. We want to see more capital funding for capital projects. The biggest argument the Minister can make when he is fighting for the €54 million of taxpayers' money for the horse and greyhound industry is that it creates so many jobs and generates economic activity to a value of over €1 billion. There will always be a place for elements of the industry to make their contribution towards capital development, but that is not to saywe do not want to see increased activity.

I refer to the interesting suggestion made about the betting tax. We would have to be sure, however, that it contained no loopholes to ensure the system would not be abused. However, in general, as a way of attracting people to racecourses to place bets instead of just watching racing on television or in the bookies, for many reasons other than monetary ones, we should encourage the creation of that kind of environment.