Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That dog is dead; therefore, the regulations have been flouted.How can anyone have confidence in an organisation that flouts its own regulations? The five licensed operators are turning themselves into multimillionaires by creating a cartel within the sector. There is no level playing field, but we do not have to recreate the moon to deal with this issue. All we have to do is replicate what is occurring in the horse racing sector which does not use frozen semen. The frozen semen being used deters ordinary, hardworking people who may have a number of dogs from staying in or getting back into the sector because they do not have the financial means of those who can avail of frozen semen from top dogs that are dead.

There are allegations, some of which were outlined by a whistleblower to a former Minister at the Department in 2013, including that a lot of drug money is involved in the sector. That is very serious and I question the integrity of the entire sector. I call on the Minister to either accept the amendment or reflect on it before Report Stage because it is an issue which I believe, based on information I am not at liberty to disclose today, will blow up badly. Some of the information I have obtained is private and I have to ensure the authenticity and truthfulness of other bits of it, but if what I am hearing is correct, we will be dealing with a huge problem, with operators sitting on piles of frozen semen worth millions of euro and holding up implementation of this rule. Why is the Irish Greyhound Board sitting on the matter and why are its directors not dealing with it? I suggest it has to do with money and vested interests. If that is the case, it is disgraceful and needs to be addressed.

I am not sure if the Minister has the information today on the licensing regime, the licences being given out or why the regulations continue to be flouted, but does he agree with me that there is a need to address this issue to protect the interests of the taxpayer, the State, the Department and everyone concerned? We need to make sure the industry will not run aground in the next few years. The answer may be a replication of what the horse racing and thoroughbred sector does in the area of artificial insemination, particularly in the use of frozen semen. I encourage the Minister to seek a legal opinion on the matter. The issue needs to be addressed because we cannot allow a cartel to operate within the sector which is heavily funded with moneys from the Minister's Department by way of the betting tax.

I thank the Minister for his work on the Bill and meeting me and colleagues on an individual basis to discuss it. It is very much appreciated that he has reached out to us in that way. I wanted to express my thoughts in the light of the information brought to my attention and my fears about the integrity of the industry, given the infiltration of money from questionable sources which continue to dominate the industry, creating a huge problem for regular greyhound owners who want to compete in it. The only way to deal with the issue is to ensure this legislation is watertight. Therefore, we should not rush it. I commend Senator Ruane on her efforts. Legislation is often rushed through without being scrutinised properly, but as changing the word "may" to "shall" could have a huge impact, I hope the amendment will be accepted.