Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 24 November 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Photo of Jackie CahillJackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Kehoe. Before the Minister replies, I wish to reinforce Deputy Kehoe's point on insurance. A number of point-to-point meetings have been cancelled in the past couple of weeks because of insurance. The point-to-point sector is the cornerstone of our national hunt industry and the nursery for producing those champions we all like to see in venues such as Cheltenham, Aintree, Leopardstown or Punchestown. There is a serious issue there. One insurance company, Liberty Insurance, was providing insurance cover, but it has now pulled out of the market. This is a huge issue. Hunting is also facing problems. It is not only an equestrian issue; all outdoor activities are affected. We see headlines that ice-rinks cannot get insurance. Water activities are likewise affected. Water parks closed during the summer due to insurance problems. I brought this up as a Topical Issues matter the week before last and the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Fleming, answered my questions in the Dáil but we need a resolution to this. I support Deputy Kehoe in this regard. Where can these activity sports go to ensure they can get insurance cover?