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 Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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If it is a lottery, then it is the taxpayer who pays for all of the tickets. As a result, we need to ensure that taxpayers get the best value for money. Every time I have raised this issue with the Minister, I have been struck by what has been said people in the industry who contacted me. They have stated that there has to be a better way to ensure that all parts of the industry receive supports.

The Minister did not answer directly as to whether he would ensure that the horse and pony racing groups will be catered for. I ask him to inform HRI that it must pony up or that he will find alternative ways of examining that matter into the future.

I want to touch on some of the committee's deliberations. I will not go through the facets of the report. I heard what the Minister has said. It strikes me that the argument for distinguishing and separating the IHRB, which is the regulatory body away, from HRI, which is the governing body, makes eminent sense in order to ensure that we have maximum public confidence in animal welfare, anti-doping and other regulations for which the board has responsibility. In the modern era, I do not think it is feasible to have a situation where a regulatory body is dependent on the governing body for its annual budget. Will the Minister pursue the agenda to break them up in order to ensure maximum public confidence? Will he ensure that there is maximum transparency in how these organisations, which, in essence, are publicly funded, operate, including ensuring that the salaries of senior executives are published and publicly available?