Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To begin, I wish to state that I am a director of a private greyhound track and I have a distinct interest in the Bill. The Bill is long overdue and the industry has sought it for a long time. Fianna Fáil is generally supportive but will table amendments at Committee Stage, including in relation to the composition of the board and stud keepers. The Bill's general purpose is going in the right direction.

The reputation of the greyhound industry has taken a battering in recent years. It is essential that the Bill is sufficiently robust so that people who are found guilty of offences relating to altering the performance of greyhounds can be convicted and banned for periods. There have been highly publicised cases where dogs have been found to carry prohibited substances where unfortunately it was not possible to impose sanctions on either the dog or its trainer. It is essential that this Bill will allow Bord na gCon, or whatever its name is once the Bill passes, to take proper sanctions against people who breech the rules of racing. That is essential to rebuild the reputation of the industry.

People who go greyhound racing and the owners of dogs want a level playing field, with all dogs running on their merits and everyone having a fair and equal chance. That reputation has been shaken to its foundations in recent years by a number of highly-publicised cases. It is essential that this be corrected, and we are confident that the Bill will enable that.

Recently, there was a greyhound racing strike in Shelbourne Park as well as the publicised sale of the Harold's Cross greyhound stadium. The latter has allowed the industry to get on a new playing pitch and relieve itself of a debt that had been hanging over the board. It is important to point out that that debt was historical and was not incurred by the current board. For the industry to move forward, it was essential that the debt be removed. Harold's Cross was an old stadium and many Dublin greyhound owners had great sentimental attachment to it. It was their greyhound stadium. While it was a difficult decision for the board to take, it was the correct one for the industry.

The barometer for the board will be the focus on prize money. With no debts to carry, increased prize money must be made available for racing. No one who keeps greyhounds expects to make a fortune, but the industry must be made attractive. If people can win a couple of races, it would pay some of the bills that come with owning greyhounds. An increase in prize money is essential if entering or staying in the business is to be attractive to syndicates and ordinary dog owners. Attendances have been falling, and we must try to reverse that trend. In that regard, it is important that facilities be kept at a modern standard. We must make greyhound racing attractive as a night out. The involvement of syndicates is essential. While the prize money will never make anyone a millionaire, if it can go some way towards defraying the cost of training greyhounds, it will help the industry and attendances.

Regarding the operation of the tote, it is essential that tote pools be attractive to the ordinary punter if people are to pass through the gates. This part of the industry has slipped in recent times. Successful pick six and pick seven jackpots operated in Shelbourne Park for several years and the pools increased over a number of weeks to an attractive level. That enticed people to attend not only Shelbourne Park on a Saturday night, but also other tracks around the country where they had the opportunity to bet in the Dublin pool. We must get back to the point of people going to the dogs, investing a few euro on the tote and having a good night's entertainment because there is a good pot in Shelbourne Park. That is essential if we are to attract people back through the turnstiles.

The broadcast company Sports International Services, SIS, is a new phenomenon for Irish greyhound racing. It operates at a number of tracks around the country. It can be a source of revenue for the greyhound industry. The strict regulation of greyhound racing is essential if we are to ensure that SIS keeps coming to, and expands at, tracks. It is an income stream that can benefit us. Hopefully, more tracks will get involved. It will also create a market for lower grade dogs that have become virtually worthless over a number of years by providing a good base in the price of greyhounds. A pool of dogs will have to be available at all of the tracks in question for SIS racing. At recent sales at my track, lower grade dogs have increased in value significantly. That is a welcome development for breeders. Greyhound breeders are an essential cog in the industry and we must try to give them the prospect of at least breaking even. Unfortunately, not every dog is in the open race class. The A5 and A6 dogs must be able to be sold as well. SIS and the pool of dogs available for race meetings have major roles to play.

I have raised the issue of track bookmakers in horse and dog racing previously. They are an endangered species, with their numbers dropping to very low levels at greyhound meetings around the country. We must do something to ensure that they survive at our racetracks. If someone went to Shelbourne Park tonight, only one bookmaker would be operating on the rails. On a Wednesday night ten or 12 years ago, there would probably have been a dozen bookmakers. This element must be encouraged. The atmosphere that track bookmakers bring to the industry cannot be replaced. One can see that from the roar on derby final night at Shelbourne Park. We must try to protect that. It is essential that track bookmakers be encouraged to stay in business.

According to the Minister of State, the industry will receive €16.8 million of Exchequer funding this year. That will protect many jobs in what is predominantly a rural-based industry. We must recognise that the welfare of greyhounds has to be catered for by the industry. There is a general acceptance by all involved that the welfare and traceability of greyhounds must improve. It will happen, and a proportion of the funding is being devoted to the welfare of greyhounds. That must continue and improve. The rehousing of greyhounds can be done, just as it is done elsewhere in the world. They make extremely good pets in later life. Much work can be done in that regard, but it will take a bit of financing. Given that the industry is getting a substantial amount of money from the Exchequer, it owes it to the taxpayer to ensure that the welfare of greyhounds is protected.

We must restore the industry to its former glory. This Bill will go a long way towards restoring its reputation. If we are to get young people involved and keep breeders on side, it is essential that proper regulation be seen to be in place, that it be enforceable and that anyone who breaches it suffers its wrath. That is probably what the industry is anxiously waiting for this Bill to do. I am not a legal expert, but the Bill strengthens the position of the board. That is essential, as a number of recent cases have made it clear that the board does not have the ability to carry through on what it wants to do.

Fianna Fáil is generally supportive of the Bill. We will table amendments to it on Committee Stage. I hope that, when passed, it will do what we want it to do, namely, restore the reputation of the industry and put the industry on a proper footing going forward.

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