Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the opportunity to raise this Topical Issue. I submitted it over the weekend on foot of Bord na gCon's threat to move a feature greyhound race from Mullingar greyhound stadium to Galway greyhound stadium. The Irish Cesarewitch, a premier 600 yd classic, has been held successfully in Mullingar for the past 18 years and it appears that the threat to move it to Galway has since been rescinded. I compliment the members of the board of the greyhound track, the breeders who use the track and my constituency colleague who in recent days have been highlighting the regrettable proposal that emanated last week. I thank the Minister for taking a call over the weekend. I wonder why the decision to move the race to Galway was not formally notified to the board of Mullingar greyhound stadium. While it is most welcome that Bord na gCon has changed its mind in advance of tomorrow evening's meeting, at which the decision was due to be ratified, it raises questions about the governance of Bord na gCon. Did someone in Galway put pressure on Bord na gCon to move the race in the first instance? Did the decision to rescind the proposal to move the race to Galway result from the pressure exerted in recent days by the directors, the political representatives and the breeders?

We were told that it was proposed to move the Cesarewitch to Galway because of capacity issues at Mullingar. I consider this to be a very lame excuse because the capacity issues with the fire escape were definitely present last year and may have been present for the past two years when there was no proposal to move the race. All of this shows Bord na gCon's clear lack of support for Mullingar greyhound stadium. We know that Bord na gCon has invested in greyhound stadiums in regional locations such as Thurles, Clonmel, Galway and Tralee and wonder why Mullingar is not on that list. In February 2017 Bord na gCon received Government approval to dispose of Harold's Cross greyhound stadium. Part of the reason for that decision was the need to clear the substantial debts Bord na gCon had built up in the preceding years. It was also intended that some of the money raised from the sale of the Harold's Cross facility would be used to invest in other stadiums. We cannot interfere in the fire officer's decision and should not seek to do so because health and safety are paramount.

However, the board's lack of support for the directors of the Mullingar stadium making the necessary physical improvements is hampering the dog track's ability to reach its full potential. Consequently, the stadium is losing revenue weekly. The track is turning down highly profitable benefit nights and is no longer available to the sports clubs from surrounding counties that once travelled to use it. I understand that Bord na gCon turned down a recent request for funding to replace the advertising board at the centre of the track, a further indication of its lack of support for the stadium.

Bord na gCon is responsible for presenting a business case to the Government and the latter has representatives on the board. When will funding be made available to carry out the essential capital works that will enable the stadium to generate its own revenue and put it on a sustainable footing?

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Troy for raising this issue. Ironically, I will be introducing the Greyhound Racing Bill 2018 in the Seanad at 3 p.m., with Committee Stage scheduled for next week, all going well. I hope that the Bill will modernise the greyhound industry by underpinning it with legislation that is fit for purpose in the 21st century. The Deputy mentioned a colleague. I presume he meant Deputy Burke, who has also been in touch and made representations on this matter, including to the track's board directly.

Bord na gCon is a commercial semi-State body established in 1958 under that year's Greyhound Industry Act, chiefly to control greyhound racing and improve and develop the greyhound industry. It is a body corporate and separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

I have made inquiries with Bord na gCon and have been informed that, due to issues around attendance capacity at the Mullingar greyhound stadium owing to fire safety restrictions, the 2019 Irish Cesarewitch is proposed to be run in Galway over 575 yd. The intention behind this proposal is to move the event to Galway temporarily.

Approval of any significant capital project at individual stadia is subject to the completion of a systematic review of the industry footprint, as proposed in the IGB Strategic Plan 2018-2022. I have been advised that the procurement process for appointment of an independent consultant to undertake this study will commence shortly, and it is anticipated that a final report will be completed by next March.

Bord na gCon has informed me that, in the interim, it has engaged consultant architects to prepare a proposal to address the deficiencies at Mullingar and that this proposal will shortly be put forward for planning approval. On receipt of same, it will be necessary to obtain fire safety and disability access certificates regarding the proposed works. A sum of €100,000 has been assigned for works under the board's business plan regarding the use of some of the surplus proceeds from the Harold's Cross sale.

The capacity of the restaurant is limited to 126 people on the upper floor and 130 on the ground floor. The suggested proposal involves the demolition of the existing fire exit at the southern end of the building and the construction of a new, larger fire exit staircase. Subject to fire authority approval, this solution would increase capacity on the upper floor to 240, with ground floor capacity remaining unchanged, representing a net increase of 114 patrons.

Bord na gCon has informed me that, at the national greyhound consultative forum meeting held on 26 September, it indicated that a review of the fixtures and events calendar was under way and submissions were invited in respect of that calendar. The necessity to review the calendar was based on the changes in the industry in general and to provide for an optimum racing calendar throughout the year. A number of detailed submissions were received. These were considered by a sub-committee established to make recommendations to the board. The sub-committee met on three occasions and gave detailed consideration to a range of factors which have an impact on the events calendar. A draft calendar was formulated and put forward for consultation on 11 October. Submissions were invited on it by 16 October so that the matter could be considered at the board meeting scheduled for 18 October, which is tomorrow. Bord na gCon has informed me that, at this point, no decisions have been made regarding the fixtures and events calendar for 2019.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State has outlined a number of welcome developments. He is right in that plenty of submissions were made in advance of yesterday's deadline. I made one, as did my colleague, the directors and breeders, but we have been told, including via feedback to me from the board, that the decision has been taken not to advance with this move next year, albeit temporarily. Will the Minister of State confirm whether a decision has been taken or must we wait until tomorrow evening for it to be made? Local newspapers claim that the decision has been rescinded already, but how could it have been made in advance of the board meeting? That raises questions about the board's governance and structure. Perhaps the Minister of State will clarify. We want it stated explicitly that the decision is being rescinded.

The much-needed structural investment in the stadium is welcome, but we must ask why we have been waiting so long for it. The fire officer's decision on closure was made in November 2016. When Harold's Cross was sold in February 2017 for €23 million or €24 million, there was a promise that additional funding would be provided to stadia around the country. I named a number that have benefited from such funding, so why has Mullingar lost out for two years? Will the Minister of State engage with the board to ensure that the necessary works are accelerated so that there are no capacity issues and the track can meet its full potential?

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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A number of points have been raised. I stand to be corrected, but I believe that the final transfer of moneys happened much more recently than February 2017. That was the time of the valuation, but the process took quite a while. It is also the case that the strategic plan was only presented this summer. I cannot answer the Deputy's questions concerning the works at other stadia, but I assume that they were ongoing works and were not part of the strategic plan, as none of them could have been up and running any sooner.

The proposal was to move the Cesarewitch and the qualifying heats temporarily to Galway next year. If there has been a recommendation to rescind that proposal, that decision will have to be formally approved through the board. I cannot tell the Deputy that it has been rescinded. If the board is to be functional, it must be the body making these decisions. On foot of submissions received from 11 to 16 October, it may opt to stick to its decision, but we will have to wait until tomorrow to know. I cannot pre-empt what will be decided at the board meeting.