Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Anthony Doyle, and also acknowledge the presence of Deputy Michael Darcy in the Visitors Gallery with his students who I assume are from County Wexford, not County Wicklow. I thank him for coming into the Chamber as it is good to see former Members coming back to show respect for it.

Kevin Humphreys (Labour)
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I, too, welcome the children from County Wexford to the Visitors Gallery.

The Minister of State is well aware of the shock and upset caused by the sudden closure of Harold's Cross greyhound stadium and the lack of consultation with dog owners on the issue. That issue must be dealt with over a period of time. A number of part-time workers have been in contact with me to say they are losing significant earnings because of the reduced crowds as a result of the protests at Shelbourne Park. We must resolve the issue of Harold's Cross greyhound stadium because if the protests continue, the jobs of permanent, part-time and temporary staff will be at risk because of the loss of income at Shelbourne Park. I ask the Minister of State to exert some pressure to ensure the issue is resolved. It can only be resolved through discussion and negotiations and anything that could be done in that regard would be much appreciated. This is particularly relevant for part-time staff who are greatly out of pocket. The permanent staff are still in employment and not seeing a loss of income.

The other element of this issue is that the site in Harold's Cross, close to the centre of the city, is six and a half acres in size. If the stadium is not to be reopened, it is very important that the local community be consulted. This area of the city will see its population grow by approximately one third in the next decade. I ask the Minister of State to consider this. The area will experience huge population growth, yet it does not currently contain a field in which a child could kick a football or a second level college could be built for students. There is a shortage of secondary schools in the area. A proportion of the site, if the greyhound stadium is not to be reopened, could be used to serve that need. It is currently designated as a Z9 zone, which means that the development of only 5% of the site is permissible, which means that it is not in the interests of the taxpayer or the Irish Greyhound Board to put it on the market at this stage. What is required is a local area plan. I ask the Minister of State to get involved in that process. When the population of an area grows by one third and a six and a half acre site becomes available, we have to make sure there is sustainable planning. I ask the Minister of State to look at entering into consultation with the local community before any long-term decision is made about the track.

I highlight again the possible loss of the stadium. The Irish Greyhound Board has sought consultation on the sale of the site. It could represent a significant loss to the taxpayer if the site is sold at below market value, as currently configured. We need to take a step back and ask what is in the best interests of the city and the taxpayer. My fear is that a developer will purchase the site and sit on it for five to ten years. We would then have an unoccupied six and a half acre site in the city, not being used for the purposes of recreation, education or housing.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for raising this issue which has occupied a lot of my time. I have an official line but may be able to expand on that in the supplementary contribution.

Bord na gCon is responsible for the control, promotion and operation of greyhound racing, including the operation of totalisator betting, the making of grants for prize money, the allocation of grants to improve amenities at tracks and the licensing of tracks. In that context, it runs commercial operations in a number or greyhound stadia, including Harold's Cross. There are 17 greyhound tracks licensed by Bord na gCon which owns Shelbourne Park, Harold's Cross, Cork, Tralee, Waterford, Youghal, Limerick and Galway, and also has a 51% share in the Mullingar track.

In an economic report by Jim Power in 2010 it was estimated that the greyhound racing industry is responsible for sustaining in excess of 10,000 full and part-time jobs directly and indirectly, many in rural communities, and injects an estimated €500 million into local economies. While this work may be somewhat outdated at this point, the fact remains that the greyhound sector makes a significant contribution to the rural economy. The greyhound breeding industry is also very export oriented with over 75% of greyhounds now running in the UK being Irish bred.

Greyhound racing attracts thousands of tourists to Ireland from many countries, particularly France, Germany and the UK, and it works closely with Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and the various tour operators. Ireland is regarded as a world-class player in greyhound breeding and there is considerable potential for further development in this area. The Irish Greyhound Derby, run in Shelbourne Park, is one of the richest greyhound races in the world. However, Bord na gCon has been operating in a very difficult financial environment for several years and in particular since 2011 when it took on considerable debt as a result of the development of Limerick stadium. In 2014, against the background of reducing income for the organisation through the recession, and the significant debt burden, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine commissioned an independent report into certain matters relating to Bord na gCon, including its financial performance and prospects. That report, known as the Indecon report, provided a roadmap for the sustainable development of the greyhound sector, and recommended several asset disposals, including Harold's Cross, in order to reduce the debt burden.

I understand that Bord na gCon, having considered the matter and having regard to the recommendations in the Indecon report, has decided to put Harold's Cross stadium on the market in order to reduce its debt levels and increase its capacity to provide support and assistance to the industry. The directors of the Dublin Greyhound and Sports Association Limited approved the sale of the Harold's Cross property at a meeting held on 16 March 2017.

While the sale of Harold's Cross is very regrettable, Bord na gCon's view is that there is no other option if the burden of debt on the organisation is to be reduced in any meaningful way. I understand that its intention is to transfer the Harold's Cross racing schedule to Shelbourne Park and Bord na gCon continues to accommodate racing at Shelbourne Park on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, albeit that is suspended at the moment because of ongoing pickets. Bord na gCon has informed me that all permanent and temporary staff who had been employed at Harold's Cross have now been transferred to Shelbourne Park with no breaks in their employment records. I understand that the closure of Harold's Cross has led to concern among supporters of the stadium and an effort at mediation between Dublin Greyhound Breeders and Owners Association, GOBA, and Bord na gCon is under way. Bord na gCon has informed me that Kieran Mulvey has agreed to chair this mediation process. There has been significant Government commitment to this sector in recent years, with the contribution of the taxpayer, through the horse and greyhound fund, having increased from €10.8 million in 2014 to €16 million in 2017.

I remain committed to continuing to support this vitally important sector. However, it is clear that if it is to have a sustainable future, the burden of debt on Bord na gCon must be reduced. In this regard the board has its own responsibilities to discharge, and this may involve very difficult decisions.I can appreciate that the local community will have a view on the further uses to which the site may be put, if sold. Any proposal for its development will be subject to the full rigours of the planning process. Any sale of the Harold's Cross stadium - and I refer to the Senator's point - will require my consent and that of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. I will consider any specific proposal for its sale having regard to the Indecon report's recommendations around the need to avoid further debt burden on the taxpayer and the need to reduce the significant burden of debt of Bord na gCon.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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We are over time, so I ask the Senator to be brief.

Kevin Humphreys (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I ask that he looks at the plight of the part-time workers in Shelbourne Park and to see if something can be done to alleviate the pressures and the concerns of the staff for the viability of the sector. The longer the protest goes on the more chance that everybody may lose out. I welcome the mediation efforts. I know the Minister of State has concerns but would he meet with the Harold's Cross community council in order that the latter could have an opportunity to look at a vision for the area if the stadium is to be sold? The Minister of State mentioned the full rigours of the planning process. In respect of the planning process, there was an unsuccessful attempt by Bord na gCon to have the zoning changed in the last development plan. The feeling from the local community is that there should be a statutory local area plan before any such proposal should ever be considered.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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We are way over time.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I should say that earlier today I met representatives of the Dublin Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association. The mediation process is starting tomorrow. I met them on foot of a commitment I gave that I would so do after publication of the draft legislation for a greyhound breeders racing (amendment) Bill. It will be referred to the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine for pre-legislative scrutiny. I welcome that engagement but I cannot get involved.

With regard to meeting with the community I do not want to pre-empt a decision. If I agree to that request here then I will be accused of having circumvented the process that is taking place around the sale. I do not want to be seen as interfering with that process in any hand or part, except to encourage everybody to engage. I suggested to the Dublin Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association this morning that they should engage in the pre-legislative scrutiny process, where their opinions and their points of view will be a matter of public record and will get a fair hearing at that committee.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State and the Senator.