Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy and apologise to the House for arriving a little late. I was discussing some crucial budget matters with the Minister for Finance. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, for agreeing to take this matter in my absence. I also thank Deputy Ferris for giving me the chance to address it. I have had representations on this matter from elsewhere and I understand the strong feelings which are felt on all sides about this issue, although they all come from a completely different perspective.

Let me begin by clarifying the respective roles of my Department and the tourism agencies in the context of tourism development. As Minister, I set national tourism policy in order to grow a competitive and sustainable tourism industry, while the agencies have operational responsibility for the implementation of this policy. On the matter of tourism, marketing and promotions, Tourism Ireland is the all-island body responsible for overseas tourism marketing, whereas Fåilte Ireland is responsible for domestic tourism promotions. Accordingly, decisions regarding particular promotional channels or campaigns such as those relating to greyhound racing are operational matters for the tourism agencies.

There has been much coverage and debate lately, including in the RTÉ "Prime Time" programme that aired over the summer, regarding alleged cruelty to greyhounds. This is a matter of grave concern to me personally and I know that my colleague, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Doyle, who has responsibility for the greyhound sector, also takes these allegations very seriously. I have also had a large number of representations from Deputy Ferris' constituency colleague, Deputy Griffin, on the issue. He is, of course, concerned about animal welfare and we have had robust discussions. Deputy Griffin shares Deputy Ferris' concerns, as do other Members of the Government. My conversations with Deputy Griffin have been very robust. I would not go as far as to say he is 100% in agreement with me on everything that is being done here but animal welfare is a prime concern which we share.

I welcome the fact that the Minster Of State, Deputy Doyle, is ensuring that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine conducts a thorough investigation and takes the necessary enforcement actions to deal with any offences. While his Department and Bord na gCon are seeking to address the specific issues identified, I am also keenly aware of the reputational damage these alleged practices have done to the Irish greyhound industry. I am very concerned that there could be consequential damage to Ireland's reputation as a tourist destination.

Accordingly, I asked the tourism agencies, Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland, in this context to consider what role greyhound racing should continue to play in the marketing and promotion of Ireland. I also asked them to apprise Bord na gCon of any actions they proposed to take. The agencies subsequently informed me that they had met and decided to implement some changes relating to the promotion of greyhound racing in tourism marketing campaigns and on the agencies' websites, pending implementation by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine of several reforms under way and to come.

I am confident that the Minister of State, Deputy Doyle, and his Department, in co-operation with Bord na gCon, are working hard to address the issues identified, to take enforcement actions against offences and to set the industry, for which they have great ambitions, back on a positive track. Nonetheless, while we work to right the wrongs and rehabilitate the industry and its reputation, we must be careful not to allow current negative publicity damage our tourism promotions. In that regard, I trust the tourism agencies to act in the best interests of Ireland and Irish tourism, guided by their insights and experience. I am happy with their decision to take a step back from active promotion of greyhound racing at this point in time and to keep the situation under review.

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