Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I acknowledge his work in bringing this Bill to fruition. I appreciate that the delay in bringing the Bill to the Seanad was partly because it was subjected to pre-legislative scrutiny by the committee. That was the correct course of action because it gave the committee the opportunity to engage with stakeholders and hear their opinions and views. It allowed for the strengthening of the legislation. That was good and helpful.

Overall, this Bill is long overdue. It dates back many years.Even before this Government came into office, there was a need to strengthen the industry to protect all of the stakeholders. I will keep my comments general and then reserve the opportunity on Committee Stage to bring forward more specific queries or amendments, if the opportunity arises. The greyhound industry is a tremendous industry with huge potential. At its core are those who provide the dogs, the owners and the breeders. The greyhound has often been referred to as the poor man's race horse. Down through the years, particularly when the recession hit, there was a decline in the financial standing of the Irish Greyhound Board. As a result, many issues came to the fore that were not dealt with.

Recommendations were made by the Morris report, as well as our own Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, when Deputy Doyle was the Chairman and the 2014 report from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, under the stewardship of the then Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney. These all shed light on issues emanating from the sector that needed to be addressed. That is why this Bill is here, why I welcome it and the opportunity, if it is available, to engage with the Minister of State and his officials to tease out some of the issues.

Much criticism has been levied at the Irish Greyhound Board, Bord na gCon, which is now to be renamed, and much of the criticism is absolutely justified. The greyhound industry is a wonderful sector, but it is one that has been diminishing over recent years. There is a new chief executive officer, CEO, at the head of the Irish Greyhound Board. That is welcome. I have engaged with the CEO and there is now an engagement process for Members of the Oireachtas to engage with the Irish Greyhound Board. I welcome that as well. There were issues with the governance of the organisation at management and executive level. The issues raised were very serious. We do not have to go over them today but I did want to say that. I welcome the attempts in this Bill to try to regularise some of those issues. I refer in particular to governance, board appointments and the length of time of some appointments, particularly in the role of chairman. One chairman was there for years. It was almost an issue beyond reproach. The owners and the breeders were totally isolated and not being listened to.

We cannot have an industry going forward without the most important aspect of the industry, the greyhounds. The people sitting in the office in Limerick do not produce the greyhounds. It is the ordinary people out breeding the greyhounds. If they felt disenfranchised and not listened to, then I hope that was a shortcoming this Bill will address. There are also financial issues which need to be addressed. It is hoped that under the stewardship of the new CEO that the Irish Greyhound Board can improve its own financial standing because it has largely become dependent on the State for income. The Minister of State mentioned 2007-2008 when the horse and greyhound racing fund provided around €15.3 million. The overall income of the Irish Greyhound Board, however, was about €78 million. The percentage of State intervention, therefore, was approximately 20%. That has, however, grown to the region of 40% this year. I understand that is due to the economic recession, attendance numbers and the income outside of the State levy. Nonetheless, there is a need to bring this sector to a better level of financial independence.

There will always be a need for the levy. I welcome the levy and I also welcome the recent introduction in the budget of an increase in the levy from 1% to 2%. It is the right way to go and it was one of the recommendations we touched on in the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine back in 2016. We cannot, however, just provide money to sectors that are not endeavouring to improve their own financial situations. I acknowledge the strategic plan launched by the Irish Greyhound Board. I welcome the plan which goes to 2021 and the objectives therein. That will help the sector. There is much more I could say but I will confine my remarks to what I have said. I might just add some comments on doping in the sport. It has been tarnished by the issue of drugs and that links into an animal welfare issue as well.

Animal welfare has to be central to the future of the greyhound industry. I refer to dealing with cruelty in the sport, setting up a fund to protect retired greyhounds and dealing with drugs in the sport. There can be no place in the greyhound industry for drugs. The testing facilities being used in Limerick have come under question, unfortunately. If there are questions on the testing and laboratory facilities in Limerick, then they need to be addressed in this legislation as well. I am sure they will be. Those are my remarks. I support the Minister of State fully in what he is trying to achieve. It is the right way to go. I will reserve judgment in respect of small amendments I may or may not bring forward. This is a very important Bill. It follows on from the excellent legislation which was brought in on Horseracing Ireland a number of years ago. This is the right way to go. The Minister of State is on the right path and I am fully behind him. The sooner this legislation is passed in both Houses, the better. The Minister of State may, hopefully, be able to indicate when he expects Committee Stage to take place, if there is a timeline for that. There is no need to rush it because it is better to tease out the legislation and give all of us an opportunity to interact.