Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I move:

That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2023, copies of which were laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on the 18th October, 2023.

I thank the House for facilitating the taking of this motion today. Ensuring that the horse and greyhound racing sectors and industries achieve their maximum potential, and in doing so contribute to economic and social development over a wide geographic distribution in our country, is an important aspect of Government policy. The valuable contribution to a balanced regional economy made by both the horse and greyhound industries is well recognised. It is estimated that the thoroughbred industry has an annual economic impact of €2.46 billion, with direct and indirect employment of 30,000 people, and the greyhound sector benefits an estimated 10,000 people economically.

Government funding, in addition to supporting these key industries, presents an excellent opportunity to yield a high return for its investment, leading to a flow of income through many levels of the economy, thereby providing widespread benefits for society. The sectors are also crucial in driving a geographically balanced economy throughout our country. The importance of these industries has been acknowledged by successive Governments and they are supported through legislation and policy initiatives. The world-class reputation for excellence in horse racing, greyhound racing and breeding that Ireland enjoys has been enabled by the support provided through public funds.

The horse and greyhound racing industries receive financial support from the State through the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund under section 12 of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001. Payments are made from the fund to Horse Racing Ireland, HRI, and to Rásaíocht Con Éireann. In the period 2001 to date, a total of €1.64 billion has been paid from the fund to the horse and greyhound racing industries in accordance with the provisions of the Act. The cumulative upper limit on payments from the fund, provided for under the relevant regulations, has now been reached. Exchequer support provided from the fund is crucial to the survival and continued development of the horse and greyhound racing industries. In order to give effect to the provisions of budget 2024, this cumulative upper limit must be increased by regulation. The Estimates for my Department, passed by both Houses as part of budget 2024, include an allocation of €95 million for the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund. This will be distributed in accordance with section 12(6) of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001, with 80% going to HRI, or a total of €76 million, and 20% to Rásaíocht Con Éireann, a total of €19 million. In order to allow my Department to provide the moneys allocated in budget 2024, it is necessary to comply with the technical requirement under section 12(13) of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act to increase the cumulative limit on the amount payable from the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund by that €95 million I am allocating this year, bringing it to a total of €1.735 billion. This is achieved by way of the regulations submitted to this House today and, previous to me being here, in the Seanad. Last week, I presented them to the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine as well. The aggregate limit on the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund was increased in this same manner in 2004. This has also been the case in every year between 2009 and now.

Touching on the importance of the horse racing industry, according to a Deloitte report from this year, it is estimated that the Irish thoroughbred industry has an annual economic impact amounting to €2.46 billion and supports the direct and indirect jobs of some 30,000 people. The total value of Irish-foaled exports sold at public auction last year amounted to €293 million. Horse racing generates a significant return to the rural economy across our country and provides a positive international profile. Of course, behind all the facts and figures are the thousands of people who, directly and indirectly, make the Irish racing and breeding industry the fantastic industry it is today. Statistics released by HRI for horse racing and breeding in Ireland for the first six months of this year point to a continued resilience in the industry. Many figures compare favourably with the first six months of 2019, the last full year before the Covid-19 pandemic. As proven in 2023 to date, Irish owners, trainers, jockeys and horses are setting standards globally. Their exceptional achievements and enduring influence underscore our international prominence in the sector. The Irish equine breeding and racing industry is extremely competitive globally despite other major racing nations having much larger populations and economies. The incredible passion and commitment to excellence displayed by everyone in the sector, from yard staff to jockeys to owners, allows us to consistently punch above our weight.

The importance of a strong welfare and integrity function to this highly successful industry is crucial and this is well recognised throughout the industry. We continue to work with HRI, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, IHRB, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the highest standards of integrity and welfare are maintained. In that regard, in November 2021, the agriculture committee published a report on horse racing in Ireland. At the committee’s request, an international equine anti-doping expert, Dr. Craig Suann, was commissioned to conduct an independent review of the IHRB’s equine anti-doping programme. This review concluded that the programme does "at least match international best practice in most respects and has made significant advances in recent years".

It is worth noting that Government funding, in addition to supporting this key industry, also presents an excellent opportunity to yield a high return for its investment leading to a flow of income right through the economy. Support for certain strategic industries is important for future economic growth and can provide widespread benefits for our society as well as our economy.

The EU-UK Brexit trade agreement reached in December 2020, which included the Northern Ireland protocol, and the more recent Windsor Framework agreement were very welcome for our wider economy. However, the facility to move horses freely without veterinary certification between Ireland and Britain can no longer apply as a result of Brexit and has not been facilitated in those agreements. This has added cost and a significant administrative burden to such movements. The global nature of major breeding operations illustrates that while Ireland arguably holds a leadership position within Europe currently, its pre-eminence is not guaranteed.

With regard to the importance of the greyhound racing industry, as highlighted in the Power report in 2021, the greyhound industry provides and supports considerable employment across the Irish economy. It is estimated that in 2019, the industry both directly and indirectly supported over 4,000 full-time and part-time jobs in the economy. In addition, there were over 6,000 active greyhound owners. The total number estimated by the report to be deriving economic benefit from the sector is over 10,000. The greyhound racing industry is part of the social fabric of many parts of our country. The funding provided to the racing sector helps sustain a long-standing tradition and underpins economic activity.

The future of the industry is dependent on a strong governance platform and on the industry having the highest standards of integrity and welfare, founded on a robust regulatory system. There is a strong commitment to improved animal welfare in this sector in the programme for Government. Provisions in the Greyhound Racing Act 2019, which came into effect in May of that year, are making a difference in this regard. That legislation strengthens the legal basis for the industry with a view to fortifying the integrity of the greyhound racing sector and improving provision for greyhound traceability. The new Act also improves the governance of Rásaíocht Con Éireann, strengthens regulatory controls in the industry, modernises sanctions and improves integrity within the sector. It provides the industry with the tools it needs to effect fundamental change and reform. It facilitates the board in focusing on its priority objective of achieving the highest standards of care and welfare of greyhounds. Further commencement orders for the small number of remaining sections will continue to be phased in as expediently as possible and, as implementation continues, will enable Rásaíocht Con Éireann to ensure the important heritage associated with greyhound racing in Ireland can continue under appropriate rules and regulations.

My Department, along with the sector itself, is committed to the continued strengthening of welfare standards in the greyhound industry. Future funding of the sector is contingent on welfare standards being upheld and this is reflected in annual parameters set out by my officials in their liaison with Rásaíocht Con Éireann. A key element of the new legislation is the provision, for the first time, for a full IT traceability system for racing greyhounds. The Rásaíocht Con Éireann traceability system came into operation in January 2021. It provides a mechanism to ensure racing greyhounds are properly registered and traceable throughout their life stages. These life stages include birth, registration, racing career, all changes of ownership and location and end of life. Data from the system at the end of September last year indicated that 42,611 greyhounds were subject to traceability. Phase 2 is currently in development.

Given the wide geographic distribution of these two industries and their importance to the rural economy, and even the importance of this funding to both their development and their continued progress, I very much recommend this funding and this motion to the House to enable the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund for this year to be distributed to Rásaíocht Con Éireann and to Horse Racing Ireland for the benefit of both industries.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "That Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that:

— while it is acknowledged that the horse and greyhound racing sectors do not qualify for sports capital funding, they are unique in Irish sport in that they are supported by the State through their own ring-fenced statutory fund;

— that payments into the Fund have increased from €54 million in 2014 up to the €95 million proposed for 2024, an increase of 76 per cent in a decade, with the proposed payment for 2024 an increase of a further €4 million over 2023;

— there is a question as to the continuing appropriateness of the indexation formula that is intended to provide a floor for Exchequer payments into the Fund, linked to receipts from excise duty on off-course betting;

— while up to 2009 the statutory indexation formula was followed, the Minister for Finance has confirmed that the formula was abandoned in 2009, without any enabling change in the Act, and that the approach since then has been for a unilateral decision by Government on the amount to be provided to the Fund in each year;

— a significant amount of the Fund is used for prizes, which seems to benefit those who are most successful, and no independent economic or social impact analysis has been carried out to determine the best use of this resource; and

— although in the intervening years there have been reports of serious animal welfare concerns in both sectors, there is a lack of clear statutory conditionality that would make any State financial support conditional on rigorous animal welfare criteria being satisfied, nor are any conditions related to workers' rights in the sector attached to the funding;

believes therefore that the funding model under section 12 of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001 is in urgent need of review and replacement, and calls on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to carry out such a full and independent review of the Fund, including in particular with recommendations on:

— how best to support these sectors, those involved in it, and rural communities;

— measures needed to ensure the highest standards of animal welfare are implemented and complied with;

— how the rights of workers in the sector can be improved and an employment regulation order introduced to set minimum rates of pay and conditions; and

— whether and how funding for these sectors and other sports should be aligned,

to be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas within six months, with a view to amending legislation being in place well before the anticipated date of any further presentation of draft regulations under this section for the approval of the Houses, and

approves the following Regulations in draft:

Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2023,

copies of which were laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on the 18th October, 2023.".

Traditionally, the Labour Party has supported this fund. However, every year there is a situation where we need to re-examine the structure of this. Members of the Public Accounts Committee have called for this. It seems to hobble on from year to year. I asked last year that we would use the year to re-examine how it is calculated, the formula and the manner in which we have to come in here every year and vote on it. This needs to amended from a legislative point of view. At some stage, will the Minister deal with that, even if it is part of another Bill? It is a bit ridiculous.

I am very supportive of the industries, given where I come from in Tipperary. I was born a few fields away from where Tiger Roll was bred. Tipperary and Kildare are by far the two largest counties when it comes to horse racing. Tipperary is one of the largest counties when it comes to greyhound racing as well. The formula by which this calculation is done needs to be looked at. My former employers in Fáilte Ireland have a thoroughbred marketing strategy which relates just to Tipperary and Kildare. That illustrates the value of the industry, which employs up to 40,000 people.

On overall funding of sports, we need to look at this when it comes to the horse and greyhound fund, gambling legislation, sports funding, sports capital and the role of Sport Ireland. It comes across as if Sport Ireland is a regulator but it is not a regulator over sports and has no say over where large sports capital funding goes, which is ridiculous. Then there is this fund as well. This funding is all well-meant and I support all of it but how can we ensure it is being distributed and administered most effectively? How can we ensure the fund going to horse racing is being used appropriately and fairly and going to smaller players and actors in the industry in the same proportion as to others? Similarly, when it comes to greyhound racing, we must ensure that it is not going to administration rather than to those in the industry.

The Minister should appoint a person, if not two people, to the board from a welfare background. I know of various proposals to the greyhound board on welfare which have not been taken aboard. There are changes afoot in relation to that board. Hopefully, that will see changes in this area and in administration.

We need to look at how people are paid, particularly in the horse racing industry. There should be a sectoral employment order in the area. Thousands of people are employed but what are their rates of pay and working conditions? What hours do they work? Are those hours compatible with what is set out in the Organisation of Working Time Act? This might seem unusual to some people but it is important to me because I come from Tipperary where there are hundreds of people employed in the industry. It is critical that there be a fair rate of pay for all the people working across the various sectors, many of them on very low pay. The reason they want to work in the sector is their love of horses and horse racing. In many cases, their working conditions are not up to the level required and they are not paid enough.

The final issue I want to raise relates to gambling legislation. We know about the origins of this fund and the formulas and all of that. Maybe as part of that, the Government could look at funding across all sports, including this fund, sports capital and a range of other areas. In doing so, maybe we will get to a proper equitable distribution for everybody, including horse racing and greyhound racing.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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Greyhound racing has been in decline for decades. Ireland is one of only ten countries in the world where commercial greyhound racing is still legal in 2023. Since the Government took office, it has given €74 million to the greyhound racing industry, with €19 million allocated in budget 2024. There are 17 tracks in Ireland and no one to fill them. Youghal greyhound track had an average of three people at meets during the start of this year.

Why does the Government refuse to acknowledge what the overwhelming majority of the country clearly knows, which is that greyhound racing is, not exclusively but predominantly, a cruel industry that has no place in modern society? Despite some breeders and trainers taking good care of their dogs, everywhere greyhound racing operates, the story is the same, with rampant animal welfare abuses, injuries, fatalities, overbreeding and culls. In country after country, the industry is being banned. In track after track, attendance is plummeting, yet the Government continues to throw millions of euro at it every year. The continued support of political parties in government and opposition for State funding of this cruel industry shocks me. The Green Party stance remains a particular disappointment. After years of taking strong positions on animal rights and blood sports, it abandoned those beliefs the second it entered government. The Labour Party has tabled an amendment calling for a review of the fund and expressing concerns about animal welfare, while, it seems, approving annual funding yet again. A free vote was allowed last year on this motion, so it is disappointing to see all Labour TDs’ names attached to this amendment. It was welcome last year that Sinn Féin voted against the motion. I hope it will be repeated this evening.

Following the 2019 RTÉ documentary revealing the scale of abuses in the industry – up to 7,000 dogs bred to be killed annually – the greyhound board introduced a deeply flawed traceability system. Non-coursing greyhounds are only registered on the system at 12 weeks and only if born in the Republic. No dogs born in the North are included. There is no way of knowing the extent of the overbreeding problem if we do not know how many dogs are born in a given year. Thousands of dogs have been bred and then destroyed because they did not make the cut. Destinations for exports of dogs to any country other than the UK are not recorded on the system despite the fact that we know Irish greyhounds are still sold to China and Pakistan, both countries with horrendous animal rights records.

Since the Government took office, 438 dogs have died on the tracks and 1,026 have been injured, some of them hurt so seriously they had to be put down immediately. These are only the figures for races. We have no idea how many dogs have suffered and died at trials where, appallingly, vets are not required to be present.

The Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s report on dog welfare noted there is virtually no oversight or transparency concerning canine artificial insemination, a process so dangerous for dogs it is banned in the UK, yet somehow it is still legal here. Over 500 female greyhounds have been put through this cruel and painful procedure since 2019, all to facilitate the rampant overbreeding of greyhounds, which is a hallmark of the industry.

I fully expect that the motion, despite all these glaring unaddressed issues, will pass, not with the support of the majority of the public but somehow with the support of the majority of parties in this Chamber. Public funding to the greyhound racing industry must end. The importance of the industry to the survival of rural communities is fantasy. If parties in this Chamber are so convinced of its importance and popularity, why not let it survive on a commercial basis? The Minister, the Government, the Labour Party and some Independent TDs do not want that because they all know the support is not there and the industry would collapse without the annual handout of taxpayer money. When will they face reality and end the State subsidy for this cruelty?

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Now we have Solidarity-People Before Profit. Are Deputies Paul Murphy and Barry sharing time?

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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Yes. I am opposed to giving €95 million of public money to the horse and greyhound racing industry. Compare it with the €15 million total in core funding for sports organisations in this country, including the FAI, the GAA, Swim Ireland, the Olympic Federation of Ireland and many others. It is a scandal. There is a lot I could say about the fact that much of this money for horse racing ends up in the pockets of the richest people in this country or about the more than 6,000 greyhounds killed annually because they do not run fast enough.

Instead, this year, I want to focus on deconstructing this report by Jim Power Economics, which is so often relied upon to say this cruelty is okay because it is a very important part of the economy. The key sentence in this report is the very last sentence, "The information and data upon which the report is based was provided by Greyhound Racing Ireland." In other words, Jim Power did not go and check any of the assumptions or the data he was provided with.

Raymond O'Hanlon of Preferred Results has done some work on deconstructing this report and digging under the figures to show the massive exaggerations that are contained within the Power report. Raymond O'Hanlon's work will be online for anyone to peruse and I will cite some key aspects of it. He sums up the approach of the Jim Power report as, "Maximise dog numbers, multiply them by extraordinary costings to generate incredible figures for economic activity, which the vast majority of people do not have the time and/or the knowledge to refute." He refers to headline figures calculated in the Power report. One of them is that:

The weighted average cost for a dog exported to the UK [of all the costs that go into that] comes to approximately €7,683. [The conclusion would be that] ... in order for an owner to breakeven on the sale of a dog to the UK, becoming one of [these] ... 6,500 greyhounds which GRI claims to be exported annually, the average dog would have to sell for [that amount] €7,683.

What do greyhounds actually sell for? The Cork greyhound sales report published on 17 July 2021, around the same time as the publication of the Power report, stated the average sales price was €1,078. What is happening? Are people raising greyhounds for a loss? That would not make any sense. It suggests that the costings apportioned by the GRI for the rearing of greyhounds are approximately seven times higher than in reality. It would mean that the figure of almost €120 million used as the annual spend by greyhound owners is a completely unsound figure.

Another point is that the Power report presents the racing career of a greyhound as being 24 months. The true figure, again coming from the GRI's own figures, is actually 9.6 months. Many of them are then exported to the UK, where they race until they are 72 months old and beyond. The same is the case in terms of the exaggerated figures of numbers of people employed or directly economically benefiting, which is not defined in the report.

What emerges is a story of the public in Ireland subsidising the British greyhound racing industry, supplying more than 85% of the greyhounds that are raced there. I am opposed to this funding on animal welfare and animal rights grounds, I am also opposed because it is a waste of public money.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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On my walks these days it is common enough to see people out walking with graceful animals - greyhounds. The dogs are invariably rescue dogs, but where have they been rescued from? They have been rescued from abandonment. They have been rescued from a greyhound industry which is scandal ridden and cruel. It was cruel, it is cruel and it will always will be cruel because, when it is run for profit, it cannot be any other way. That is the view of a growing body of opinion within society. For example, Dogs Trust had always called for reform of the industry rather than its abolition. It now wants to see it abolished. The ISPCA wants to see it phased out within a number of years.

If this motion is passed tonight the amount of money that has been gifted to the industry will pass the €300 million mark in the next year. That is money that would be far better spent on socially useful projects. I am not at all surprised that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael do not see it that way. It is a disgrace that the Green Party is going along with this. I note the Labour Party amendment but I say to the Labour Party that it needs to catch up. It needs to catch up with Dogs Trust and the ISPCA. However, it is a real scandal on the part of the Green Party.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Barry. We now have the Regional Group and Deputy Lowry, who has five minutes.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Lowry. There will now be three speakers from the Rural Independent Group and they will have five minutes between them.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I thank the Government for this funding for this vital industry and fully support it. Both industries are so vital but I will speak today about the horse industry and the prowess we have had in Tipperary, all over the world and in other parts of Ireland.

I want to make remarks on the greyhound industry because it is vital. It used to be a cottage industry. Every small farmer in south Tipperary had greyhounds. That has now greatly diminished but I salute them because they mind their dogs and their welfare is the top priority. Coursing and greyhound racing are humane. People like Deputy Cairns, Deputy Murphy, Deputy Barry and others want to attack and undermine. Deputy Cairns came up one day protesting and she brought a lurcher. She did not even know what a greyhound was. These people speak with such ignorance about a sport that is part of our culture, heritage and economy. We are for work and we want to support people who work in these industries. I ask the Deputies to educate themselves about what goes on in the real world. It is not all about knocking and stopping everything good, productive and that provides employment. Those jobs and the money earned around that industry are important. The Deputies are welcome to come to coursing meetings in Clonmel to see what goes on, but they will not come.

I also turn my remarks to those Deputies and ask why they are so selective and will not condemn out of hand the groups of illegal hunters going around County Tipperary. Hares are in preserves to have them fit for coursing after Christmas. The groups go around marauding with six or seven lurchers, terriers and all kinds of dogs with no muzzles that tear hares and rabbits asunder and damage farmers' property. They boast in videos about how they got so many rabbits. It is shocking. The Deputies ignore that but want to attack a good industry that involves decent people who provide good work and conditions, valuable turnover to our State and enjoyment for our people. There are none so blind as those who cannot see at all.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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Ongoing financial support from the State through the horse and greyhound racing fund is pivotal to the viability of both industries, which, combined, have an economic impact of nearly €2.5 billion and benefit 40,000 people through direct and indirect employment. The legacy of horse and greyhound racing is deeply rooted in the Irish cultural fabric. Ireland is renowned globally for its outstanding standards in breeding and training for both racehorses and greyhounds. The economic impact of horse racing as an industry has been monumental, contributing billions to the economy. The breeding and racing sectors are estimated to generate a staggering €1.8 billion in gross expenditure annually. The industry provides direct support to nearly 10,000 jobs, with indirect employment opportunities extending to fields like equine science, veterinary services, transportation and stabling.

I welcome this motion. It is high time people who object go to see the industry for themselves in Church Cross, for example. I rang up one day and turned up in the yard within five minutes to see how dogs are treated with the most humane, loving and caring treatment on a farm in Church Cross. People should wake up, go down to see that and stop criticising and pointing fingers. It is like going out finding 100 drivers, one of whom is going wrong, and taking every driver off the road. I went to the greyhound finals recently. I was delighted with how the dogs were treated.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for the funding. All I ever want to see is more funding for greyhound and horse racing. Often overshadowed, the greyhound industry plays a vital role in Irish culture and the economy. The €19 million allocation is a testament to the industry's significance, benefiting veterinarian medicine suppliers and others in interconnected businesses. I compliment the greyhound racing industry in County Kerry and the track in Tralee.

I wish to speak about the people who own greyhounds. Other Deputies seem to be completely oblivious to this. They adore their dogs - I will stick with greyhounds for a minute. I am talking about people like Tom O'Connor and his family from Saleen in Tarbert, people who grew up with greyhounds. Greyhounds are their way of life. Those dogs are catered for and nurtured better than any person could ever be.

I thank the horse racing industry in County Kerry - the people, trainers, owners, jockeys, families, interconnected businesses and the people who run the race track in Killarney, Listowel and Tralee, who provide great entertainment. It is a vital part of our infrastructure. It is our way of life.

I pay tribute in the short amount of time I have to the late James Kelly, who died recently. He was a great steward at the track in Tralee, a familiar face every Friday and Saturday night. He was a young man taken before his time. I wish to say on the record of the Dáil that he was a great greyhound man and a great track man. He served the county of Kerry very well. May he rest in peace. It is fitting to remember him this evening in this debate because he would like to see money going into this industry. The more that goes into it, the more we will get out of it. Other politicians do not understand it. They are out of touch. Their heads are in the sand. That is enough about that.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Healy-Rae beat me to the chase. Another Tom O'Connor, my grandfather, was heavily involved in setting up the dog track in Youghal. We had greyhounds and two generations of our family were involved in it. It is a huge part of the fabric of where I am from, Youghal, in County Cork.

Something was said in Chamber that was not true, that attendance was recorded in Youghal greyhound track of three people. The reason that figure is out there is because three people were charged. There is free entry at the gate. Every night the races are on in Youghal, there are, at a minimum, close to 100 in attendance. Recently, there was a celebration night during which nearly 2,000 people visited the track. It is appalling that Deputies can come into and misinform this House about what goes on in our local greyhound track, which has survived many attempts to be shut down by the IGB. I condemn it, because it is not fair. It is a grassroots organisation run by volunteers who put everything into it.

Families and the people involved love and care for their animals. I grew up on a farm and I work with animals every day when I am at home. The idea put out today around animal cruelty is not an accurate reflection of the people involved in greyhounds or, particularly, in the sport of horse racing.

Horse racing is not a sport of the elite. It is one of the few sports in this country that bring people from all social strata together. I think of the success of people like Nina Carberry and Rachael Blackmore, enormous performers for women in sport in what they have achieved, as well as Davy Russell and other great names in this sport. They have done a lot for sport in this country. Horse racing provides tens of thousands of jobs for our economy and brings billions into the country. For example, at the Dublin Racing Festival, 40% of attendees - in the ten

s of thousands - came from the United Kingdom alone. It brings millions for each major racing festival. There needs to be an injection of reality about what this funding does. It has a huge positive impact on our economy which is returned in very high multiples. There needs to be some dose of honesty about what is being said in this Chamber today.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I acknowledge the horse and greyhound sectors and the positive impact they have in rural communities, particularly economic. Having said that, €95 million is an awful lot of money. It is an increase on last year. I put the point to the Minister last week in the committee that there is no rationale for €95 million. I do not understand how that figure was come to. We need greater transparency and accountability concerning that amount of money, given that it is public money. For that reason alone, there should be greater clarity and transparency on how that amount was reached.

The Minister will know that we have, for a number of years, through my colleague, Deputy Carthy, submitted amendments to seek a full review of the Exchequer funding, including an examination of prize funds, how they are perhaps subsidised, and animal welfare, which is critical. Questions have been asked specifically about prize funds and we have questions all the time about animal welfare. There are a lot of genuine concerns in that regard. At the committee last week, the Minister confirmed there would be an independent and external review which would shortly go to tender. I welcome that, which is the only reason I did not bring forward and amendment to the motion. It would be good if the Minister could provide further details about the report, when we can expect it and the terms of reference. I appreciate the tender has to come but we must make sure prize funds and animal welfare are part of that report.

I also asked the Minister in the committee last week that both organisations, with the 80-20 split, would provide line-for-line detail on how they spend that €95 million. I do not think it is a lot to ask. Again, that comes back to accountability and transparency. I do not see any reason it should not be provided by the organisations. This is public money, and when it comes to public money, I do not think accountability and transparency are a lot to ask for. It is a great deal of money and we have to acknowledge that.

I would appreciate if the Minister could provide further details on the report and, in particular, when he expects it to go to tender and when he expects it to be concluded. That is important. I hope that report will give people the answers they need in some respects, but it also needs to give us greater clarity on the amount of funding, the increase in that funding and the rationale for how €95 million was decided upon. That is really important.

The bottom line is to acknowledge the importance this has in some, if not many, rural communities while ensuring we have the highest standards of animal welfare, and absolute transparency and accountability for every red cent of public money provided to these organisations. I do not think that is a lot to ask for.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank all Members for their contributions. As I said in my opening statement, this funding is very important to the thoroughbred horse racing sector and to the greyhound sector throughout the country. They are two strong industries. The horse racing industry in particular is world leading and a massive part of our economy, with some 30,000 people employed. The greyhound sector is somewhat smaller, which is again reflected in the fact it only has a one fifth share of the funding. However, the funding is important to that, to the tracks and to industry throughout the country.

We once again intend to continue our support and partnership with those two industries. We want to see them build and grow in the time ahead. We want to see our horse racing sector remain as a world leader, and one of the world leading exporters of thoroughbred genetics and foals across the world. We are also one of the leading countries for mares coming to be covered, and for winning at horse racing and making an impact across the continents.

I thank those who are supporting it. We take on board and acknowledge the opposition and that not everybody agrees with it. We can certainly disagree on that. We welcome the support of Sinn Féin. I have been watching its evolution over recent years with regard to greyhound and horse racing funding. Each year its members would support the previous year's level of funding but not the increase. They are now getting to the point where this year they are supporting the increase as well as the previous year's.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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They are getting ready for Government. They call that getting ready for Government.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I see the coalition negotiations with Mr. Murphy here and the Social Democrats are getting more challenging by the day should the numbers cook up after the next election. It will be very difficult. The horse racing and greyhound sectors can be assured that this Government very much values both sectors and is committed to their funding. I want to see both sectors grow and prosper in the years ahead. We are committed to keep doing that, and I thank everyone for their contributions and their time today.

Deputy Lowry mentioned Kilkenny greyhound racing track and I acknowledge that too. I know it is something on which he has engaged with both Deputy Cahill and me. We have a new CEO and new leadership in Rásaíocht Con Éireann and they have a strategic plan. We expect that to be concluded. I acknowledge what the Deputy says about Kilkenny, the strong greyhound racing heritage, its strong following and the fact the track is in need of investment. That is something on which my Department and team are engaging with Rásíocht Con Éireann. I know it is high on the agenda, and is something on which we will continue to work in the near future. I thank Deputy Lowry for raising that matter and I thank again all of the Deputies for their contributions.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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Vótáil.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with Standing Order 80(2), the division is deferred until the weekly division time this evening.