Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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We approve every dime spent by the Department through the Estimates process. The State cannot spend any money without the approval of the Oireachtas through the Vote system. That is provided for but I will not delay the discussion.

I was disappointed that the betting tax was not raised to 3%, for a number of reasons. At 3%, it would have covered the total cost of this fund, as well as providing money that the State could use for other purposes and additional funding for the horse and greyhound sectors without recourse to ordinary funding from the Exchequer. In other words, it would have been funded from betting revenue.

I would have liked some of that money to have been given to organisations such as Gamblers Anonymous Ireland because gambling has become a major affliction in our society. The one difference between gambling and other addictions, such as alcohol, is that gambling is a hidden addiction that often remains unseen until it is too late. We are aware of the devastation it is causing for society. Lots of taxes are socially regressive but the betting tax could have been a socially progressive tax by being put to good use in dealing with the fallout from gambling and, perhaps, discouraging some people from becoming addicted.

Horse racing and the horse industry in general make a significant contribution to our economy. It is important that we support the sector. It is something we are good at, and we have natural advantages as well as inherited advantages and know how due to the stallion tax relief and other measures over the years. We have built up a very good reputation worldwide and it is important we maintain that reputation by continuing to invest in the industry. It is a rural industry which employs thousands of people.

Because it is dispersed, it is perhaps not as visible as some other industries but it is a very important export industry.

We all know about the problems in Bord na gCon. I hope this matter is dealt with expeditiously and the Minister mentioned that legislation will be brought forward at the earliest opportunity. I suppose it would be fair to say that promises of legislation over the years have far exceeded delivery of legislation in Departments as there are always unforeseen delays. In what kind of timeframe does the Minister realistically expect to see that legislation? When we get that timeframe, we can multiply it by two, in my experience, because every time we get a list of legislation on the programme for legislation, only about a third of the A-list gets published in any one session. Therefore, it is important we would see that.

As I said, Fianna Fáil will be supporting the passage of the regulations under consideration. However, I would like it noted that I believe all of the horse and greyhound allocation should in the future be funded from betting tax, with a little left over for other very worthy purposes, and that, instead of it being a burden on the Exchequer, taking a non-official hypothecation into account, it would be a contributor.