Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State, as a good Kildare person, will know all about the racing business but without horse and pony racing, there would be no Irish racing industry to enjoy. This business is the essential foundation for all young jockeys to learn the skills and competencies to enable them to become top-class jockeys in Ireland and abroad.It is a sport for males and females from all walks of life. People start at the age of eight or younger, and there is no upper age limit. It is good for people's well-being. It creates a great love of animals by many young people. It is not just people from the farming community who enjoy horse and pony racing. Many families from urban areas enjoy this wonderful sport. All of the people involved in it are volunteers. We all know of the race meets around the countryside that bring so much enjoyment each year, for example the races in Loughrea, the Dingle races, Frenchpark in Roscommon, and Geesala in Mayo. The meets are huge for the local communities. Of course, because of the pandemic this has all been hit. The volunteers who run these race meets are now looking forward to getting it all up and running again. They do not get any funding.

Horse Racing Ireland has a budget of €76 million. I understand, however, that it cannot fund them. Brian Kavanagh and Denis Egan from the Jockey Club sympathise with these small racing volunteers but, as far as I am aware, they cannot fund them. We need to look at this to see if there is some way we can get some funding for groups like the midlands horse and pony association, the north-west racing committee, the southern racing committee, the Dingle races, and the people in Frenchpark in my county. Sponsorship has disappeared because of the Covid close down.

The aspect of well-being is a very important point in all of this, and especially for young people. It is an open air sport, which is very important when we are moving out of Covid restrictions and being told to get outdoors as the safe way to go. For those people to get up and running and to re-establish themselves, they need funding now. They have very little money left in their accounts. Many of the people involved are using their own money to get much of the work done. There are huge costs involved with insurance and the chipping of animals. All of this is being done very well and is very well looked after by the people in control. One can imagine, however, all of the cost there.

This sport is really the foundation that opens up avenues for the likes of Rachael Blackmore, Barry Geraghty, Bryan Cooper, Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh. It goes on and on. Just look at the successes those people have had. Look at the pride they have brought to Ireland. They all started at those pony and horse races up and down the country. The Minister of State will understand this very well. I believe it is vital and important that we as a Government look at this issue and that we try to organise a funding stream that will back this up. Again, I put it to the Minister of State that all of the people involved are volunteers. It does not just open up avenues for jockeys. It also opens up opportunities for owners of horses and for stable people to go on and make a good career. This is the training ground and the base. This is the rock on which our racing business is founded and we must support it. If we do not, then these volunteers will disappear and the ability of people to enjoy this outing will be gone.