Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is duplication. That is all it is. It is the signal it sends to the Turf Club and the general public who look to the Turf Club to regulate. How can the race and regulatory body be solely and independently responsible for making the rules of racing if it has a statutory obligation to consult with HRI first? It questions the integrity of the regulatory body. It is an issue given the international situation in sport and the allegations surrounding Russia and other countries and doping. The integrity of an organisation that is there to regulate appears to be undermined in this yet I have no knowledge of anything other than that the body has behaved impeccably. I acknowledge that we can tease all of this out on a later Stage through amendments and make our views known. We can add amendments to strengthen the legislation or provide the necessary reassurance. It is our duty as legislators to reassure the public that the workings of the bodies, be it the HRI, regulatory body or the composition of the board, can have their confidence. Public confidence will be the catalyst to move things forward in a better way.

Minister, is there a legal challenge by the Turf Club in relation to that? I am hearing that there is and I ask you to confirm if that is the case. We need to know as we debate the legislation further.

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