Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)

Will the Leader arrange a debate on the future of the horse racing industry, which, like every other sector of the economy, is facing a rather uncertain future? It is a very big industry and creates many jobs at various levels, from breeding and training to racecourse management. It regularly injects a large amount of money into small towns such as Kilbeggan, Mallow and Thurles, in addition to the major festival locations such as Fairyhouse, Punchestown, Galway and Listowel. Sponsorship has been the most significant factor in making Irish racing so important and the generosity of sponsors has never been questioned. I was delighted to see that Punchestown was able to announce that it had secured its five major sponsors again for this year's festival meeting. That is wonderful but other stories are beginning to emerge about difficulties at smaller tracks. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on what is a crucial industry for this country.

It would be remiss of me to talk about racing today without mentioning an outstanding sporting performance by A.P. McCoy who rode his 3,000th winner yesterday in a career which has been a showpiece for Irish racing and for the world.