Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I fundamentally disagree with the Minister and believe he has reneged on a commitment he gave to me very clearly on Committee Stage. He said that the role of the local hunt club will remain the same and that the only change is to the office to which the cheques are sent, which will be a central administrative office.This is what he said on Committee Stage:

Rather than having two offices, one operated by the Turf Club and a second one operated by Horse Racing Ireland, which are located within a few hundred metres of each other, we are seeking to introduce one administrative function. That is the only change. Everything else remains the same. ... We propose to change that to state:“to maintain the existing nature of point-to-point steeplechases including making and enforcing the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Regulations for point-to-point steeplechase as made by the Stewards of the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee.” We are trying to reinforce the point that this is the committee which sets the regulations and controls the sector.

The amendments proposed by Deputy Ferris and I provide for administration and governance of point-to-point racing. However, point-to-point racing has never been included in legislation.

I have a number of concerns about this Report Stage and I want to be making it very clear early on that I am not going to be a Patsy. As far as I am concerned, the Minister gave a very strong commitment and it is not being honoured. Wherever this amendment came out of, it has jumped out of the ground and I am not accepting it. It is not consistent with what was said to me on Committee Stage. I accepted the Minister's bona fides then but the provision is now not there. This is where I caused a row on Second Stage. This is not unknown as anyone who has heard me will know my concerns.

This is an amateur sport. Similar to all other amateur sports across the country, it is run predominantly on a voluntary basis by local hunts. The hunts are supporting the role played by the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase, INHS, committees. I know this. I was even with them last week.

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