Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)

I thank the Senators for their valuable contributions to what is an important debate. I respect everyone's strongly held views on both sides of the House. I have a written response but I would prefer to go through the individual points that have been raised by colleagues. That would be more beneficial in terms of the very valid points that have been raised across the board, starting with Senator Brady. He articulately outlined the economic benefits to areas of Roscommon from the horse racing activity that happens on the track there, but also the impact on Longford town when the greyhound track was lost. There was the acute sense that sometimes you do not really appreciate what you have until it is gone. We know the impact that can have.

Regarding the all-weather track for Tipperary, a lot of people who have horses in training need an outlet to race them. For a trainer in Munster, Dundalk is an awful long way away on a Friday night. A race might finish at 10 p.m. on a Friday night and staff would not get home until 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. A key point to make, one I made at the committee last night, is that after the Exchequer funding, which is very significant, the other major financial contributor to the horse racing sector is the owners of horses, those who invest in buying those horses. Let us be honest, these are individuals who use their after-tax earned money to go into this leisure pursuit and have this activity. That money directly feeds into our trainers' yards, all the staff they employ, and into breeding, the various sales that happen around the country and the breeding establishments and all the jobs. There is that direct link there. In terms of the return for those owners, to have the opportunity to race those horses is critical. Senator Brady also highlighted the welfare provision of the all-weather track and how important that is.

Senator Boyhan talked about the letter of parameters to HRI and RCÉ. Absolutely, we are talking about a lot of taxpayers' money here. It is absolutely right that I would set out in correspondence very clearly the service level agreements that they have with the IHRB, the requirements and the reporting requirements there are and the oversight there is in the administration of that funding. There is also the fact that we have it clearly set out around what we expect in terms of investment and expenditure in the area of welfare and integrity, but HRI and RCÉ have surpassed the minimum threshold that I set for them. I look forward to making public the report that was requested by the Committee of Public Accounts and which I have submitted to it and the relevant bodies. I will implement the recommendations on increasing that contribution. That will not be an issue because both sectors are going over and beyond what has been required of them.

Horse Sport Ireland carries out important activities. The sport horse is an important part, no more than the breeding of the thoroughbred horse for the racing industry. That is largely the same with greyhounds as well. The breeding activity of thoroughbreds, like sport horses, is predominantly an activity carried out by people who farmers. It is an alternative income source as well. Some 80% of thoroughbreds bred in this country are bred by people who have four mares or fewer. They are not the big studs. They are farmers who have a few mares, with a dream like Senator Daly. We look forward to keeping a close eye on his one-year-old that is currently being broken.