John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill and compliment on the Minister - an unusual position for me to take - on allocating more money for the horse and greyhound racing fund. Following the reductions in funding for horse racing during the recession, the Minister's decision to allocate additional money to this important industry in the years ahead is an important one.

Horse racing calls to mind names such as Jim Bolger, Aidan O'Brien, Paul Nolan, Colm Murphy and the Mullins brothers. As a Deputy from the south east, I recognise the importance of horse racing in terms of employment, tourism, sport and culture. It is an important industry in the south east, and almost every farmer in County Wexford owns one, two or three horses. The horse industry has a number of different elements, including racing, breeding and show jumping.

The Fianna Fáil Party will support the Bill's passage through the House. I hope it will build on existing legislation in this area. As the Minister noted, the Bill strengthens governance and transparency within the administration of horse racing on the island of Ireland and incorporates the findings of an important independent report published by Indecon in 2012. I am pleased to note that the Minister has recognised the importance of the contribution of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine during pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill. It is welcome that he took on board some of the comments and recommendations made by the joint committee.

As the Minister stated, Horse Racing Ireland is the governing body for horse racing on the island. The proposed legislation improves accountability and control of State funding in the horse racing sector.

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