Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

It is great and is a brilliant social outlet for people. Now in particular, when people will be unable to afford to go to Marbella, or take their ski holidays, or go away three or four times a year, they will look for a social outlet. What is so wrong with going to the dogs for a night, or going to the races on a Sunday afternoon? It is a fantastic way for Irish people to spend their spare time. It is a domestic investment in the country and in an industry at which we excel. We are the best in the world and we should be proud of this and shout it from rooftops instead of being afraid to be associated with horse racing and the greyhound industry.

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