Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent)
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I thank the Minister for attending. Like the previous speakers, I would like to support the legislation for the fund of €68 million. This summer, we were fortunate enough to have most of the bodies concerned with racing, such as the Turf Club and HRI, in to talk to this committee about the new legislation. Dermot Weld gave the very good example, which the two previous speakers might consider, of looking on racing as an Enterprise Ireland or an IDA considering the amount of foreign direct investment involved. It is not just about tech, or manufacturing, or the Googles or the food business; it is an industry all of its own.

As Deputy Ferris said, it is really the thread of rural Ireland. A bit like with Katie Taylor, except Katie Taylor does not have as many people employed, we are the best in the world at this. The Minister knows there is a stud farm in Tipperary that is the best in the entire world, and there are not too many industries we can talk about in that fashion. Why do the Middle East Arabs have such huge investment here and employ so many Irish people? For future generations, if we can plan towards that increase in the betting tax then, once and for all, as the previous speakers said, we can sit here and know we have an industry that not only generates enough funding to look after itself and grow to even greater strength but also, as Deputy Ó Cuív said, look after the gambling problems.

To finish with Dermot Weld, he brought in an American owner who had never been to Ireland but who ended up moving his headquarters from London and America and employing 300 people. That is just one owner who came to work with Dermot Weld.