Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

In view of the fact that a significant number of greyhound owners and trainers come on a nightly basis from Northern Ireland to the tracks in the Republic to race their dogs, there surely must a strong case in the new political climate for the establishment of an all-island greyhound racing body. There is currently just one track in Northern Ireland at the Brandywell and that may close in the future because of plans to build a new stadium without a greyhound racing track. That would leave the people of Northern Ireland without any racing track. A number of enthusiasts are leaving the industry in Northern Ireland because of the long distances they must travel. It is about 100 miles from Belfast to Lifford and about 60 miles from Belfast to Dundalk. Approximately 15% of the prize money offered by tracks in the Republic goes to the North.

From the point of view of regulation and control, it would be very important to have just one racing board. Is the Minister aware that in the blueprint for the development of the greyhound sector in the UK for the period 2005-10, the British Greyhound Racing Board does not even mention Northern Ireland? Currently, nobody is really responsible for the greyhound industry in Northern Ireland and it is one of the areas in which great advances could be made if an all-Ireland board existed.

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