Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We had an opportunity to discuss this matter in the Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine when I raised my concerns relating to the Irish Harness Racing Association. I acknowledge that the Minister is supportive of what it is trying to do and his comments at the committee, which I appreciate. I know that, because of the part of the country that the Minister comes from, he recognises the potential of all this. However, the difficulty is that the motion before us relates to funding for the horse racing and greyhound industries. I see it as related to the Irish Harness Racing Association. I am mindful of the Indecon report which was published during the year. The Minister told the committee that the Department would need a five-year strategic plan, assurances around corporate management and so on, before money could be released, and I appreciate that, but there is a chicken-and-egg problem here, or perhaps one of putting the cart before the horse, on sequencing. The harness racers need seed funding.