Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for making himself available. I, too, wish to put on the record that I absolutely recognise the value of horse racing and greyhound racing and those sectors to our regions and to many parts of the rural economy that are barren of many other economic stimuli.

That does not necessarily mean we should say blank cheques should simply be offered to any organisation. Accountability and transparency are hugely important where public money is concerned. The Department's proposal is that the best part of €100 million be allocated to these bodies next year. It can rightly be said that this is a recognition of their importance, but the funding must come with huge responsibility in respect of accountability and transparency.

People have been talking in recent days about the emails and the complaints about greyhound racing in particular that we have all received. The biggest complaints I receive about funding going to horse racing and greyhound breeders are from the breeders themselves, horse breeders and greyhound breeders, people who love their animals and who have been involved in their sectors for years. Their complaint is that the money does not come to them, that they get no support whatsoever. That is why my question to the Minister is what exactly the conditions associated with this money are. What accountability and transparency is put in place, not just to ensure, as Senator Boyhan said, that every penny that is spent is accounted for? Obviously, that is crucially important. What is the Department's direction as to how this money should be spent? While there is an economic value to the sectors, it is not that every euro spent brings a return regardless of where it is spent. Some places will bring additional support. Just as in so many different areas, often it is the small local enterprise, probably somebody with a couple of horses or dogs. Money going to them can reap a much greater proportional economic dividend than money to the large owners.

Will the Minister outline the objectives the Department sets when it gives money to these organisations? I refer to the direction of the sports, the economic outturn that would be expected, where it would be expected the money would be delivered and, of course, the crucial issue of animal welfare. Notwithstanding the fact that most people who are involved in these sectors treat their animals very well, we cannot deny that there have been some very serious allegations in respect of animal welfare. They cannot be swept under the carpet. Taxpayers rightly expect that if they invest this amount of money, the return they will get is that the animals are treated equally. The difficulty I have is that it appears that these funds involve an 80:20 split that is arbitrary. Why not 79:21 or some other figure? Why are these funds not distributed annually on the basis of where they will have the greatest and most positive impact on both the sports and the economy, as I said?

The next question I wish to ask concerns the 2020 budgets of these organisations. Have they been spent? Is the Minister confident they will be fully spent? We know that for a long period the organisations involved were not active. We know that many of their staff were on the wage subsidy scheme or other subsidised schemes. Has there been a preliminary analysis of the 2020 budget, considering that there was such an increase provided for in 2021? Will the Minister give his view on the amount of prize money invested here? I know that the argument the organisations involved make is that the prize money is the best way to ensure that the funding trickles down to all in order that it is distributed. Has the Department ever carried out an analysis of where exactly the prize money goes and whether the redistributive formula is what it is set out to be? Do the ordinary horse breeders in Donegal or Monaghan get a fair crack of the whip, pardon the pun? They tell me they do not.

Going back to an earlier point, there is an additional €12 million.

It has been said this is a Covid payment. However, the inference that many people are taking is that, essentially, this will become the new base for funding. It is a massive increase when we consider that in 2014 the value of the State subsidy was €54 million. It now come to €96 million. If this proposal is adopted, what additional standards and stipulations will be put in place? The Minister referred to the legislation with regard to greyhound welfare. How will that be marked against the funding given?

Notwithstanding the importance of these two sports, I am not sure the committee would come to the view that the best place for this additional €12 million available to the Department would be horse racing and the greyhound industry when we consider, for example, how suckler, sheep and other farmers are struggling. This is a particularly difficult year for many people. The Minister has decided to invest an additional €12 million, totalling €96 million, in the horse racing and greyhound industry. With that commitment must come a commitment for transparency and accountability. I am eager to see the Minister's proposals to ensure the committee can have absolute confidence that the moneys in question are being spent in the best way possible.