Mr. John Moloney:

I just want to reply to Senator Mary Ann O'Brien's comment regarding the Minister's nominees to the board. The Minister currently has power to sanction the nomination of two members of the board, namely, the chairman and the representative from Northern Ireland. He proposes that this be increased to three. As Deputy Heydon stated, the Minister allocates €54 million in funding to the industry. In that context, I am of the view that he is entitled to nominate for appointment to the board individuals who will ensure that everything is done properly and to his satisfaction. I do not have any difficulty with regard to the Minister nominating three members for appointment. When the Racing Board was in existence, the Minister for Agriculture of the day nominated all of its members. Ireland is a very horse-friendly country and I am of the view that, regardless of who is in power in the Dáil, this will always be the case.