Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On today's Order of Business, there is a motion on the horse and greyhound racing fund, to be taken without debate. Regardless of people's views on greyhound and horse racing, I find it incredible that we would have no discussion in this House on the allocation of €70.4 million of public funding. It is not good enough simply to say we are going to refer this to the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Greyhound Racing Ireland's chair, Frank Nyhan, said in response to the budget allocation this year that GRI has invested significantly in its care and welfare policy during 2021 and that this year's budget increase will assist with the expansion of a range of care and welfare initiatives in 2022. Yet Greyhound Racing Ireland is still only selectively collecting data on injuries and deaths of greyhounds at the race tracks.

On the back of a member of the public coming forward to me, GRI has confirmed that there are no vets present at either the public or the private trials that take place throughout this country. The eyewitness I spoke to told me of how he has witnessed howling dogs that are in pain being put into trailers due to the lack of a vet being present at the track. Surely if GRI is in receipt of €17 million of public money, it can put in place a permanent vet at every racecourse as is the case in Britain. This would also allow for proper independent data on the number of injuries and deaths that actually take place at race tracks. It is also worth noting that dogs injured at the private trials are not even eligible for the injury scheme that GRI has. Given that it is mostly young, inexperienced greyhounds that race at these unofficial trials, surely it makes even more sense to have vets present there, so that those dogs would be eligible for the injury scheme. It is convenient that no data is collected and no vet is present to verify how many injuries and fatalities take place at the trials, particularly at the unofficial trials when it is young and inexperienced dogs, because of course that would push the figures downwards.I will call a vote on the Order of Business because I think it shocking that we would allow a motion for the allocation of €17 million in public funding proceed without any debate in this House.