Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister. For those who want to see this industry continue into the future, I would say that animal welfare is core to that because a lot of the people I have spoken to who were previously fans of greyhound racing, in particular, were turned off by what they saw in those documentaries.

I have questions for the Minister. We have heard that 10% of the money is being set aside by Rásaíocht Con Éireann, RCÉ, for a care fund to develop and maintain a traceability system for the greyhounds. I would have thought that traceability is a basic operational requirement, so it should not be included in the 10% that is going towards the animal welfare fund. Will the Minister confirm if it is the case that the welfare fund is being diverted for operational costs such as traceability?

Will the Minister confirm that it is impossible to compare, on an annual basis, the reports on how the care fund is being spent because it changes each year? Can we have a framework that would allow us to compare from year to year how much is being spent on care?

I welcome that the Minister said that there will be complete transparency and traceability of the whole life cycle of a greyhound, from the number bred to the numbers who die or are retired. However, will that information be publicly available? Will the Minister commit to there being a transparent and rigorous system of inspections of all greyhound breeders to ensure they are fully compliant with the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011?

The Minister mentioned the opening up of the greyhound care centre in October. Will he outline what checks and balances have been put in place on those who run that greyhound care centre? Will the Minister give a firm commitment to this committee that nobody who is involved in the running of that greyhound care centre has exported greyhounds to destinations that breach RCÉ's code of practice, which is that greyhounds should not be exported to countries that do not have adequate welfare standards? If it was to come to light that a person who is involved in running that care centre has been involved in the export of greyhounds to countries that do not comply with the RCÉ's code of practice, will that person be removed and will that tender be taken away from him or her?