Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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610. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of licensed horse trainers in Ireland in each year since 1 January 2020; the number of Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board inspectors; the number of unannounced inspections; whether each trainer has had unannounced inspections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15380/25]

Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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611. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the controls his Department and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board have in relation to the operation of unlicensed trainers; whether further legislation is planned on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15381/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 610 and 611 together.

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) is the regulatory body for all horseracing in Ireland.  The role of the IHRB is provided for under the  Horse Racing Ireland Act 2016 and subsequent Statutory Instruments, however the body itself remains a private entity.  

Under the Act, the IHRB is solely and independently responsible for making and enforcing the Rules of Racing and licensing all participants including Trainers.

The IHRB has informed my Department that there are three categories of Trainers’ licences issued by the body:

• a Trainer is a person who holds a licence to train horses granted by the IHRB 
• a Restricted Trainer is a Trainer who is also licenced but shall only be permitted to have such number of horses as specified by the IHRB Licensing Committee 
• a Hunter Chase Licence permits the holder to run a horse with a Hunter’s Certificate in specified races (Hunters Steeplechase)

No. of Licences Issued to Trainers and Restricted Trainers 2020 – 2024 and to date in 2025

The IHRB has informed my Department that a Trainer’s Licence is required to enter a horse into a race and, as such, the category ‘unlicensed trainer’ is not provided for in the Rules of Racing. The Rules of Racing provide that IHRB officials may enter any licensed training establishment for the purposes of inspecting facilities and premises and any relevant documentation or records, or for the purposes of inspecting, examining or testing horses on the premises. Additionally, the IHRB currently has a team of 10 Authorised Officers who, under the relevant legislation, can access, inspect and take samples from any thoroughbred at any location, not just on licensed training establishments. 

The IHRB has further informed my Department that it has conducted in the region of 700 inspections at 495 different premises since 2020 – details of the number of inspections is set out in the table below. 

No. of Inspections Carried Out 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025

**2020 figures reflect a cessation of all non-essential inspection activity due to Covid-19 restrictions.