Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)

I appreciate the opportunity to raise the matter of the horse and greyhound fund in the context of overall sports funding and promised legislation on online gambling. Approximately €30 million a year is raised through a levy on gambling in Ireland. Regardless of what one's bet is placed on, the levy goes directly to the horse and greyhound fund under the terms of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001. This is despite the fact that only 10% of bets placed relate to these two industries. A total of 80% of the fund goes to the horse racing industry and the vast bulk of this is spent on prize money. The prize money on offer in the Republic of Ireland is 60% higher than that in the UK. Also, the chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland received a pre-tax bonus of €57,000 in 2009.

This year, Irish Sports Council funding amounts to €25.6 million for 57 national governing bodies, 32 local sports partnerships and 18 high performance sports. Given our sporting endeavour, next year's Olympic Games and the fact we all enjoy sports so much, one could argue that in the current recession sport is one of the only things keeping communities alive. It keeps children occupied and families entertained and gives us all a lift. This Friday, everybody's eyes will be turned towards Tallinn hoping the Irish soccer team can go halfway towards qualifying for the European Championships.

The Minister for Justice and Equality indicated a levy on online betting will be introduced in spring next year. We believe this could raise approximately €90 million. Can I have a commitment that it will be spent on sports funding? Does the Minister intend to investigate the current funding criteria for the horse and greyhound industry? Has he asked the industry for indications of how the money is spent? Everyone accepts that the horse racing and greyhound industries are of great benefit, are fantastic employers and act as wonderful tourism magnets. At the same time, can we justify a situation where the vast bulk of the funding goes to prize money and the money spent on prize money is 60% higher here than in UK? I also referred to the figures on bonuses for the chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland.

There is inequity in sports funding, with €25 million going to the Sports Council, which looks after so many national governing bodies, local sports partnerships and high performance sports. At the Olympic Games next year we will talk about the performance of our athletes, how they are funded and how well they have performed. Is it justifiable that €25 million of our taxpayers' money goes to that while €30 million of taxpayers' money goes to the horse and greyhound industry? Is it justifiable that 100% of the levy raised on betting in this country goes to an industry when only 10% of the bets placed relate to that industry? If Paddy and Joe put €5 on Manchester United versus Chelsea, the levy raised on the €5 bet goes to the horse and greyhound industry.

Will the proposed levy on online gambling be funnelled back into the sports industry? Can we be assured it will not go in the same manner to the horse and greyhound industry and that it will be more equitably distributed?

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