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

I have always taken a very strong view that Travellers have a legitimate interest in horses as part of a very long tradition, just as rural people in different parts of the country are more involved with horses than those in other parts of the country. At the same time, we have to regularise the position and that can only be done by providing the facilities to allow it to be done in a structured fashion. I think it would be great for their own safety as well as for the public good if we could provide them with the places to train and run the horses.

We have discussed this publicly at the committee with the representatives of the county managers association and the county chief executives association, so I see that as a big upside here. We tend to go solving problems in a negative rather than a positive way but we should try to solve this one in a constructive way.

Those involved in harness racing have put a distance between themselves and those involved in sulky racing and said, "We are not them". I accept they are not them but I think they should embrace them, as long as they comply. This would be hugely positive because there has been enough exclusion in this country. If we could encourage them to get involved, so long as they abided by all the rules, all the better. It is a win-win situation and I believe it would be hugely beneficial.

In that regard, I know the IHRA thought there was €5 million which was not spent. Unfortunately, that money was for Traveller housing. That money has certainly been put back in the pot. Anyone dealing with Traveller housing will know there are no houses for Travellers. It is not that there was no use for the money as ten times that money could have been used usefully. This was about the total inability of certain authorities in this country to come forward with plans to deal with that. I ask the IHRA not to go after that €5 million and to leave it for what it was meant for.

The money should come out of the funds already going to horses. We should be absolutely clear that this is where the money has to come from. There is no reason the industry or the recreation, call it what we want, the IHRA wants to promote would not get its fair share of funding. However, I also have to say I have been passionate in advocating that horse projects for young people from urban backgrounds would get some slice of the action from the moneys we give to horses, and that would include those involved in sulky racing because there is an overlap between the two things. Any investment we have made in horse projects, particularly around Dublin, has been hugely beneficial in terms of giving a legitimate outlet to young children in urban areas to love animals, get to know them, treat them in a fair way and not abuse them.