Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is clear that there is a serious commitment to the sector through the €84 million in the most recent budget for the annual Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund. When we put in money we support rural development and sustainability and I would like it to be rolled out to Ballinrobe and Kilbeggan because it makes a difference to those communities.

I also have concerns, which have been put to me by local independent bookmakers, over the rise in betting tax. They are concerned that they will not be able to continue, whether they are on the high street or beside the tracks. There is a threat of less sponsorship from the big bookmakers because of the betting tax, which would affect smaller racecourses whose sustainability would be threatened as a result. We need to be careful about how we proceed and I welcome the fact that the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, has said he is going to review an aspect of it. The last thing we want to do is drive more business from the high street and from the independent bookmaker towards online firms which are well able to look after themselves, as are the big bookmakers.

The Sports Horse Alliance was before us and it has brought forward a report, with an economic analysis carried out by Jim Power. Given what has been done in the horse racing and greyhound industry, there must be great potential in the sport horse sector and this can also benefit rural Ireland. It needs support and a framework to proceed and become more professional, with competitions that are more international so that our Olympic athletes and medal winners do not have to go abroad to compete. Much of the work done with sport horses seems to be a labour of love but there is also a benefit to the local economy. Some of this has been measured in the report and it is open for discussion. The Minister increased the budget by €600,000, bringing it to €3 million, but it is nothing like what we are giving to horse racing and greyhound racing. How will we enable the people who are involved in the sport horse sector, who are now under an alliance, to realise their ambitions? How can they proceed to present plans to the Minister which he is willing to fund with investment in venues and other things? Knowledge within the sector seems to be gained in a very ad hocway. How can the sector have more educational interventions and become more professional so that we reap the benefits in the rural areas which many of us represent? How can we advance the cause of the people watching this meeting today?