Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. I am delighted that the Irish Sport Horse Alliance has taken this initiative and has commissioned this report. Mr. Power outlined the challenge with the industry being fragmented. In the view of the public it is also fragmented in the value that it brings. I come from a part of the country where horse sports are all around. However, what it is delivering to the local economy is not immediately obvious by comparison with other farming, such as beef farming. Therefore, this is a very worthwhile exercise. I can see great potential. There is a labour of love when dealing with sport horses, as is very evident in my part of the country. This is a good start.

The Chairman asked some very pertinent questions which explained some of what is being requested. The witnesses have pointed to the need to upgrade facilities which are substandard and pose a challenge to those involved and to the well-being of the horses when they compete there. The witnesses spoke about education, training and upgrading facilities. When they speak of prize money, are they suggesting they should get money from the State to provide prize money for competitions? Is that how it is done in the Netherlands? Is that the sort of model needed to attract international showjumpers?

On the education and training side, how much interface is there with current systems like apprenticeships? There is a big debate about apprenticeships at the moment. Are Irish Sport Horse Alliance apprenticeships formally recognised and supported by the Department? Does further work need to be done to flesh out these things?

The witnesses named the top five, but how many show centres are there? Where is the one closest to the west? Does the plan focus on strategic regional centres to develop, or is it more widespread?

We have been given figures for the number of people involved in the industry, but how many people are involved in the alliance? How many people subscribe in an active way to what is being proposed here? While I am sure they would all welcome it, how many people have come together to give the Irish Sport Horse Alliance a mandate to go for it? This spills out on the ground, so to speak, to politicians. If I go to a horse show in an area, for example, in Mayo, will all people say that this is what they need for their industry? Does such cohesion exist?