John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

The horse and greyhound racing fund was established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001 for the purpose of giving support to both racing industries. In accordance with the provisions of the Act, 80% and 20% of the moneys paid into the fund each year are distributed between Horse Racing Ireland and Bord na gCon, respectively. In 2005, the total allocation from the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund was €68.35 million, of which Horse Racing Ireland received €54.68 million and Bord na gCon received €13.67 million. I have been informed by Horse Racing Ireland that its 2005 administration costs were €5.25 million, or 9.6% of its allocation from the fund. Bord na gCon has informed me that its 2005 administration costs were €3.28 million, or 24% of its allocation from the fund. For the purposes of clarification, administration costs are taken as including staff wages and salaries and other contiguous expenditure relating to the performance of the staff functions of the organisations.

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