Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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516. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the grant supports available to assist the breeding of sport horses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50229/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My Department is fully committed to maximising the potential of the Sport Horse industry and continues to provide support to it both financially and with policy initiatives, particularly in the sport horse breeding area. I have demonstrated my commitment to the industry by increasing the budget allocated to Horse Sport Ireland from €2.0m in 2017 to €2.5m in 2018 and I have approved a further increase of €500,000 to €3.0m in 2019. This is an increase of 50% on the 2017 allocation. One of the organisation's major objectives is to promote the breeding by owners of horses with good athletic prospects. Alongside the grant allocation to HSI my Department also operates an Equine Infrastructure grant scheme with a grant fund of €850,000 which supports initiatives by various organisations and horse studbooks in areas such as breeding.