Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank both Senators for raising this issue and showing their interest in this area. As the Minister for Kildare, as it were, I take on board the points raised. No one can doubt the passion for my county and my close connection with the equine sector. I recognise the acknowledgement that the Senators, as public representatives for our county, share of the important role that equine activity plays in Kildare. That is important.

It is also important to put some context on what I am about to say. Horse Sport Ireland is a company limited by guarantee. It is the national governing body of equestrian sport in Ireland. It is not a State body. It is recognised by Fédération Équestre Internationale, Sport Ireland, the Olympic Council of Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland. Though it receives some financial support from my Department and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, it is independent of my Department in operational matters and policy decisions on issues such as the location of its office. That is a matter for the board of HSI.

The Senators will be aware that following the recommendations of an independent review by Indecon consultants in 2018, the board of Horse Sport Ireland has been undergoing significant reorganisation. A new board is now in place and all of the Indecon recommendations have been implemented, which is very much to be welcomed.

HSI is responsible for directly running the stud books of several Irish horse breeds and undertakes a range of initiatives in the promotion, marketing, education and training of the sector. Under the current strategic plan, Horse Sport Ireland aims to lead the equestrian sector and enable it to fulfil its potential, grow participation, win medals and be a top breeding nation.

The equine breeding remit is of particular interest to my Department given the increased value that I believe we can bring to the sector. At present, the average price of a sport horse foal is approximately €3,000. Sales of elite foals achieve up to €8,000. I believe we can be ambitious and that we are only scratching the surface of the value of the sport horse in the breeding sector in the context of the income that we can generate for our rural economies. Most breeders only hold two sport horse mares or fewer for breeding. This can be an additional income for farmers. We should definitely be ambitious in terms of wanting to double the base price that we get for our foals. However, that will take significant work and I know HSI has ambitions in that regard. Along with my ministerial colleagues in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I look forward to working closely with HSI in that regard.

HSI has been based in the office in Millennium Park, Naas since soon after it was established in 2007 following the amalgamation of the Irish Horse Board and the Equestrian Federation of Ireland, bringing together the breeding and competition sectors. It is now appropriate, given the passage of time and the evolving role and resource challenges in terms of office accommodation, that the situation falls due for review.

The concept of Horse Sport Ireland having a defined headquarters, national training centre and breeding centre has been an objective since the inception of Horse Sport Ireland and has been referenced in every strategic plan since 2009.It is one that I and my ministerial colleagues in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine would very much like to see happen. The importance of and need for a national centre of excellence has been well identified by both internal and external actors and indeed by the wider stakeholder group through their contribution to a report called Reaching New Heights, a review conducted a few years ago into which there was widespread stakeholder input.

It should be noted that Horse Sport Ireland is an all-island, national organisation serving 32 counties, and therefore the place it is considering relocating to cannot be confined to only one county, particularly when the breeding and the elite performance side of things are considered.

I am conscious that I have limited time and do not have enough to read all of the note I have here. I will, however, reference that Horse Sport Ireland has a very ambitious hub-and-spoke approach whereby there would be a national centre as part of that model and we would see the development of five regional centres to propose improvements, enhance facilities and enable Irish horses to be produced and have value added in Ireland, which is really important. HSI's headquarters is under active consideration by its board. The board has identified a location for the core of its future strategy, which happens to be at Greenogue, County Dublin, which may fit the organisation's needs in terms of facilities. Other sites have also been mentioned and I am aware of them having been mentioned in the Department. I and my officials will be meeting with HSI early next week and I am aware of other meetings that Kildare County Council and others have had. I look forward to going through the detail of this proposal, which is at a very early stage, and talking it through with HSI next week.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Nobody knows better than me how important Punchestown is to the rural economy and to the economy of Kildare. I worked at Punchestown Racecourse for four years and was actually a course builder for a number of summers on the three-day equestrian course, which is a fantastic facility in Punchestown. I would love to see HSI set up in Punchestown. Punchestown has been mentioned, as has Goffs, and there are numerous other places such as the Kill Equestrian Centre, which the State has previously invested in but which is in private ownership. These are all different options that I would like to ensure are fully exhausted.

I also want to see that the approach in terms of capital funding has been fully exhausted by HSI because the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has a very critical role to play here. I have only been in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine since 1 July and I have seen maybe three to four different proposals on where HSI will go. As such, I can understand the Senators' concern about this latest one, but from my perspective it is another one I have seen. What I want to see teased out is the real potential we have to develop a state-of-the-art system that will see an improved system for HSI. Ideally, as Minister for Kildare, so to speak, I would love to see it in the county, but from a 32-county perspective we must get this right for the long-term future of Horse Sport Ireland.