Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I agree it is critically important that Bord na gCon seeks to interface with representative bodies for the sector. With that in mind, Bord na gCon recently established the national greyhound consultative forum, bringing all stakeholders together on a wide variety of greyhound related matters, including anti-doping and medication control.

The first meeting of the forum was hosted by the board and the executive of Bord na gCon on 15 March 2016 with representatives from a cross-section of groups. I understand from Bord na gCon that representative groups are invited to the forum on the basis that they are mandated to represent their members. Several matters were discussed, including proposals for the allocation of additional funding, the SIS TV contract, the breeder incentive scheme and public trainer funding.

The second meeting of the national greyhound forum took place on 14 July 2016. I was in attendance at the most recent meeting of the forum on 10 November 2016, together with a cross-section of stakeholders and members of the board and executive of Bord na gCon. The meeting lasted three and a half hours and a legal representative from the Department was with to me to discuss the heads of the proposed Bill for the greyhound sector. The meeting was informative with a frank and interesting exchange of views. For my part, I provided an outline of the proposed measures in the new Bill, the chief executive officer provided a brief update on progress on the implementation of the Indecon and Morris reports while other attendees contributed to discussions on a range of topics, including welfare, the Harold's Cross stadium and Brexit.

As the controlling body of several greyhound owners and breeders associations, the Irish Greyhound Owners and Breeders Federation, IGOBF, has been invited to the forum to represent those affiliations. Other groups, including but not limited to greyhound owners and breeders associations which are no longer affiliated to the IGOBF, have also been included on the same basis. The other groups invited included Greyhound Racing Integrity Ireland, the Greyhound Group, the Trainers Association, Limerick and Clare Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association, stud keepers and private stadia general managers.

We are about to embark on the publication of the heads of a new Bill for the greyhound sector. The new Bill presents an opportunity for all stakeholders to act as a collective group and move forwards in the interests of the greyhound industry. There are common goals shared by all stakeholders such as to improve welfare, to tackle the use of prohibited substances and invigorate greyhound racing. There will be an opportunity for representatives from various interested parties to make presentations to the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the pre-legislative scrutiny phase of the legislation begins, like what happened with the Horse Racing Ireland legislation. This will be an opportune time to contribute to the creation of the best and most enduring legislation possible which will empower and future-proof the industry. I sincerely hope the various representative groups can come together and cohere their efforts in the context of that exercise.

In broad terms, the new Bill seeks to address the deficiencies in the existing legislation, which dates back to 1958, as identified in the Indecon report, by the Joint Committee on Agriculture. Food and the Marine and the Morris report. It addresses the governance of Bord na gCon, strengthens regulatory controls in the industry, modernises sanctions and improves integrity with a view to building a reputation for exceptional regulation in the sector. An improved reputation will instil confidence in the industry and attract larger sponsorship which will, in turn, revitalise the industry. The heads of the new Bill have been drafted and will shortly be presented to Government - I am hoping to get them in to the Government before the Christmas break - and then to the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine for pre-legislative scrutiny. I look forward to the continued joint efforts to modernise the Greyhound Industry Act 1958 so as to provide the strongest possible statutory regulatory response, in particular, to medication control and anti-doping.

I believe that the new Bill will strengthen the Irish greyhound industry, enable it to deal with the existing challenges and maximise its future potential.

In spite of recent difficulties in the sector, I am, nonetheless, confident that the greyhound sector has tremendous growth potential, with sporting, leisure, tourism and cultural appeal across a wide national demographic. However, in order for the sector to realise its full potential, it is imperative that all stakeholders work together towards this common goal and maximise the contribution of the sector to the Irish economy and to the social and cultural fabric of this country. For its part, Bord na gCon has assured me that it will continue to prioritise relationships with its key regulatory partners and the wider greyhound bodies in the pursuit of policies to benefit the sector at large.