Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

He will have an opportunity to come back. I have not actually asked a question. I would like to refer to the sale of Harold's Cross racetrack. There were attendances of 1.3 million at the racetrack in 2006. It had revenues of €50 million in that year. The sale of the racetrack was meant to be the saviour of the industry. I will not take up much more time. Mr. Pat Creed said at the time that the sale of the racetrack was "a game-changer". We were told it would create "a sustainable future". In fairness, the chairman, Mr. Meaney, said similar things. He said there were "no plans" to sell off any tracks as a consequence, etc. Now we know about Longford and Lifford, etc. We have had poor marketing and high stadium running costs. We are haemorrhaging money. On that basis, how can the Irish Greyhound Board put forward a sustainable future for this industry? The sale of Harold's Cross racetrack was meant to recalibrate this industry under the stewardship of the Irish Greyhound Board. According to all of our analysis here, that is not happening. I ask Mr. Dollard not to come back to me with references to the Indecon report. We were told that the Indecon report is going to be a blueprint for the future. The Indecon report, as commissioned, is not a blueprint for the future. By the way, I would like to know how much it has cost. The Indecon report relates to the future of stadiums. If the report recommends the closure of stadiums, that will be an indictment of the board, given that the sale of Harold's Cross racetrack was supposed to be the saviour of the industry. Where is the sustainability of this industry under Mr. Dollard's stewardship since the sale of Harold's Cross racetrack, based on what was predicted, on the figures that have been put forward and on where we are now?