Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the points made by my colleague. The idea of giving taxpayers' money to Bord na gCon, an organisation which oversees the barbarism of hare coursing, is absolutely abhorrent. We know from the scandal that engulfed Horse Racing Ireland earlier in the year that the organisation is incapable of handling public money. We must ask ourselves why we are doing this. Why is a salary of €247,000 for the CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, way above the pay cap, being sanctioned? When the scandal broke in the autumn, the excuse given was that Mr. Kavanagh had a contract of indefinite duration, but the lobbying started long before there was even a whiff of his first contract. The documents revealing correspondence back to 2003 are very serious not only for the industry, but also the Department. It seems incredible that in 2010 the Department accepted HRI's contention that Mr. Kavanagh was covered by the transfer of undertakings directive, TUPE, when he was not. He had voluntarily left the Turf Club in 2001 to apply to become the first CEO of HRI, so TUPE did not even exist or apply in this case. The Department surely could have queried this.

The issue before us is the fact that in the period 2001-16, €1.3 billion has been given to the horse and greyhound racing industries. This is some amount of public money to be given to two commercial enterprises which base themselves on the exploitation of animals for profit - not only animals, but also people. There is a scandal much more significant than that which engulfed the CEO of Horse Racing Ireland earlier this year. I refer to the scandal of the working conditions of people in the industry, which are not only illegal and immoral, but also potentially criminal. The idea of our sanctioning a cent of public money for these organisations is utterly abhorrent. Stable staff are treated in complete breach of the Organisation of Working Time Act, which is being ignored. The vast majority of these people never get two days off in a row, they never get a full weekend off unless they are on holiday and they are not paid for the travel involved in their work. Given the number of hours they are forced to work, it is very likely many are paid less than the minimum wage, which is not only illegal but also a criminal offence.

I put the House on notice that come early next year when we return I will call for investigations into this industry way beyond what we have seen already. It is completely out of control and unchecked. The idea that most of the public money going to HRI is spent on prize money is absolutely disgraceful against the backdrop of a severe exploitation of both animals and staff. I will oppose the motion before the House.

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