Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have made a lot of compromises in response to concerns raised by various stakeholders in the horse racing industry, including the Turf Club. I will accept some of the amendments tabled which I suspect will be strongly welcomed by that body. I am not going to be told how to write legislation by anybody. We have spent over one year in putting this legislation together and taken legal advice on the wording used and approach adopted. This section relates to the general functions of Horse Racing Ireland. It reads:

(a) to provide for the overall administration, governance, development and promotion of the Irish horseracing industry, other than functions assigned to the Racing Regulatory Body under section 39(1), including promoting and increasing attendance at authorised racecourses.

However, when it comes to point-to-point race meetings, the other functions assigned to the Racing Regulatory Body concern the administration and provision of integrity services. Therefore, it is clear we are not changing anything.

I am happy to accept amendments and make changes when a valid case is made and we need to respond to it. However, we have already made changes in this area to reassure people, but I am not going to continue to make change after change when the advice is that the Bill reflects the position we want to reach in terms of legal accuracy. The legislation makes it clear that the position on point-to-point race meetings will not change. The only change is that when people register their hunters, they will send their cheque to a central administrative office run by HRI which will then channel the money to where it would have gone. That is all that is happening. I am not being defensive for the sake of it. We have changed the wording to try to add to what was already included. On Committee Stage it was felt it was not unreasonable to do this to try to strengthen the Bill further. I am happy to withdraw my amendment, amendment No. 31, if the Deputy would prefer to see what we brought forward on Committee Stage, but what we now propose will provide more certainty and protection.

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