Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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I cannot remember the exact number of stadia that were not private but only two of them were commercial. One was in Cork and the other was Shelbourne Park. They also have falling numbers attending, to the point that they are running early morning race meetings for television audiences and they do not mind if they do not get people coming in through the door. It is very difficult to see how rural life benefits from that. There are very good and diligent people in this sector but there are also absolute cowboys in it. We saw some of that in the RTÉ programme, which was really very difficult to watch. We have been through that before. The only two stadia that were commercially viable were the two in question but it was stated that if the prize money was not increased, none would be commercial. That needs to be rethought as regards what is commercial.

On animal welfare, why is Bord na gCon not responsible for the stud book? Why does the Coursing Club run it and why has it not been transferred to Bord na gCon? Mr. Gleeson talks about the animal welfare aspect in terms of the policy area.

The animal welfare area, as it relates to Bord na gCon, only relates to racing greyhounds when it is the large number that are retired, or which were never in the racing industry because they were too slow. That is the real animal welfare issue. They are regarded as livestock as opposed to dogs, so they do not come under the responsibility of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, for example. Why is it that the responsibility is in a place like the Irish Coursing Club?