Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister said, these are two important industries for the economy as a whole and, in particular, rural Ireland.

On the attempts to get harness racing off the ground in this country, all committee members have all been lobbied by the Irish Harness Racing Association, IHRA. I understand it has put forward a five-year strategic plan for the industry, in co-operation with the Department. France is putting its shoulder to the wheel in trying to get this industry going in this country, and it has committed to investing €245,000 in prize money here for 2019. To date, it has invested €550,000 in harness racing in this country. A meeting was held in Dundalk last year at which five races were run. Some €850,000 was bet on those five races on the PMU in France, which shows that the interest in racing is there, as is the potential for the industry to develop and expand.

As the Minister outlined in his presentation, the increase in the tax from 1% to 2% will yield another €40 million for the Exchequer. If it can access the funding to get up and running, the harness racing industry has the potential to self-finance once more race meetings are held. While it does not compare in size with the horse racing or greyhound racing industries, as it is estimated there are only approximately 320 or 330 trainers and owners in the business, I am sure that with more regular meetings this number would increase.

I understand the request is for a once-off €250,000 seed capital, followed by an ongoing €650,000 per annum to fund the industry and get it established. The proposal by the IHRA demands careful scrutiny, and the association has demonstrated that it is able to run the industry well. Its pilot race meetings were successful and, with the funding that it is requesting and a strategic plan in place, this request is worthy of serious consideration. The IHRA pointed out that the plan was in place for September and the proposal was outlined a several weeks or months before budget day, but if it is left waiting for another 12 months, it will put a handbrake on the development of the sport. Will the Minister outline his views on immediate funding for this segment of our horse sport industry? Will the request be given favourable consideration?

In his presentation, the Minister talked about the excellence of our sport and the way Horse Racing-----