Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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7. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Question No. 563 of 13 December 2016 and in view of the huge drop in public interest and race meetings, his views on whether it is acceptable to support the greyhound industry with Government funding; and his views on whether funding should be cut in line with the drop in figures attending this sport. [4876/17]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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My question follows up on a question from December. It considers the extent of Government funding for the greyhound industry, particularly in light of falling attendance rates at greyhound race meetings.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Bord na gCon is a commercial State body, established in 1958 under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and improve and develop the greyhound industry. Greyhound racing is a traditional industry that plays an integral role in rural society and the economy. Successive Governments have recognised the importance of both the greyhound and horse racing industries for our country and have supported them through legislation and policy initiatives down through the years.

In 2010 a report by Jim Power Economics, commissioned by  Bord na gCon, estimated that the greyhound racing industry was responsible for sustaining in excess of 10,000 full and part-time jobs directly and indirectly, many in rural communities, and injected an estimated €500 million into local economies. The greyhound breeding industry is very export orientated, with over 75% of greyhounds now running in the UK being Irish bred.

Since 2002, well in excess of 10 million people have attended greyhound racing meetings. Annual attendances at greyhound race meetings have declined over the course of the recession. Greyhound racing was not immune from the impact of the downturn and, in particular, the reduction in consumer disposable income, emigration and the collapse in the construction industry. Over the period of the recession, Government support for the industry was reduced significantly, which coincided with the effects of the economic downturn.

Bord na gCon has informed me that consumers and fans of greyhound racing are now consuming the sport differently. With the growth in social media and online distribution of racing generally, audience engagement is expanding. The board states attendance at greyhound stadia has stabilised in more recent times and saw an increase of 1% in 2016.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Between 2006 and 2016, the Government gave almost €140 million to the greyhound industry. Although there was a slight decrease in the allocation during the recessionary budgets, since 2014 the allocations have been on the increase. I include 2015 and 2016. In 2006, some 1.25 million people were attending per annum but since 2008 the number has been decreasing. In 2015, some 600,000 people attended. The number of meetings has also decreased by over 500. Sponsorship is falling, as is the number of greyhound owners.

Could the Minister clarify whether the Irish Greyhound Board has published its 2015 accounts? If so, are they available publicly? Is the Government compensating for the drops in attendance, the number of meetings, sponsorship and the number of owners by increasing the funding? Could the Minister of State clarify the number employed in the industry? The figure of 10,000 from 2010 seems a little excessive. How much do the Irish Greyhound Board and the Irish Coursing Club contribute to the welfare of the greyhounds that are abandoned?

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The basic premise of the Deputy's question is that if something is sinking, one should just pull away money. There are problems in the greyhound industry. During the term of the last Dáil, the agriculture committee produced a report on it and made recommendations. One point made was that we need new robust legislation, which will be introduced shortly. I hope to have it agreed by the Cabinet so it can be forwarded to the current agriculture committee for pre-legislative scrutiny. It will provide for better governance, financial structures, control and regulation. Greater consumer participation is required but this must be based on confidence. If we simply say we should pull the money in the industry because it is in decline, it is contrary to most principles. If something is in need of assistance, we should continue to support it so that, in time, it can operate independently. This is a critical juncture. It is up to all participants and the greyhound industry itself to engage in this and ensure the industry has a future.

As for the numbers, maybe there is a question over the figure from 2010, but the industry is certainly still a significant contributor to rural communities.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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In 2015, the then Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, said in reply to a parliamentary question that €100,000 was received by the Irish Coursing Club from the Irish Greyhound Board. I hope the Irish Coursing Club and the Irish Greyhound Board are very much separated. I know greyhound owners who keep their dogs for racing do not agree with live hare coursing, yet their fees are going towards supporting it. This has to be clarified.

Live hare coursing started in Clonmel last week. RTE showed a clip of it. It said before showing it that it would be too disturbing for some viewers. It showed a censored version. When some people rang up to find out why it was censored, they were told the footage was too bad to show. If the full, uncensored clip had been shown, it would have shown the greyhounds tossing the hares and mauling them. It would really have shown what live hare coursing also includes.

I hope that on foot of the Minister of State's report, there can be a separation between the two bodies. How much exactly has the Irish Greyhound Board given to the Irish Coursing Club over recent years in loans and payments?

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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On the last question, I do not have the figures off the top of my head but I can certainly obtain them for the Deputy. I did not attend the national coursing championships in Clonmel but I understand no hares were killed in them. Whether that answers the Deputy's question, I do not know.

If the Deputy was to ask the coursing club and the greyhound board whether they wanted to stay separate, they would probably agree with her, in that they want clear and distinct lines between their roles and functions. Some greyhound owners might prefer there to be no live coursing, but others do not. Animal protection is governed by other legislation, by the way, primarily in animal health and welfare legislation.

Coursing is not everyone's cup of tea, but it is part of the tradition. It is easy to sit up here in Dublin and judge people, but people in Dublin do things that are not always compatible with country life either, and I do not hear people in the country being quite so judgmental.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I will reiterate the Ceann Comhairle's comments. I will be strict on times. Deputies have 30 seconds each to introduce their questions, the Minister or Minister of State has two minutes to reply, and then there are four minutes - one, one, one and one - for the supplementaries. The last time that I was in the Chair for questions, we did not get to four Deputies' questions because people ran over their time. I ask that both sides co-operate so that we can get through as many questions as possible.