Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I also offer my condolences to him and his family on the loss of his father, Donal Creed. We all know that whatever one's personal circumstances, politics just keeps rolling on and does not stop for anything, even significant personal events that can happen in our lives. I offer the Minister my sympathies today.

It is very appropriate that we are here to talk about the €80 million in funding that has been provided in budget 2018 for our horse and greyhound racing industries and to talk about the contribution they make to local economies, which is particularly critical in rural areas, as well as to the national economy. We can look back over many generations, where people lived hand to mouth and many could not afford to own a horse for racing, but Irish people had a passion for horses, dogs and other animals. It is a long tradition which is not just for kings and queens but also for the ordinary person. Today we have a fully fledged industry which is very labour intensive and provides significant employment in areas where it is difficult to encourage employment. The breeding of horses and dogs contributes to the industry. It is not only Irish people who attend races but also tourists. Particularly in horse racing, our animals are renowned as thoroughbreds and are very desirable in international markets. It is only right that we invest in the industry, which in effect means investing in our people and economy.

As we are investing considerable funds in both greyhound and horse racing, it is important that there is accountability, the buzzword of this week, in all financial matters. I note that the Horse Racing Ireland Act gave effect to the Indecon report which modernised the horse racing industry in its accountability to Government. Now we are set to follow suit with the implementation of the Indecon and Morris reports with the greyhound industry Bill, which I hope deals with concerns raised by Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill. Nobody can stand over money being spent where it should not be. There are issues around animal welfare. We can have both, but there have to be standards and we must implement them. Just because there might be issues around animal welfare does not mean that an entire industry should be shut down. We have to get the balance right, but we must be tough on those who abuse animals, and that involves people coming forward to point it out.

As my colleague across the House rightly pointed out, I would like to acknowledge that at a local level I see people who love their dogs and horses. The race meetings at Ballinrobe racecourse are a great source of local pride, they are very social occasions and it is a tonic to get out to on an evening and meet people. It is a home-grown leisure amenity. I commend the people who run it. I know these funds are critical to their ongoing work and expansion. They do their best to bring people into the local area and make the most of it for the local economy. It is very worthwhile and I am glad to see Government and Opposition supporting the objectives we have before us this evening.