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JOINT COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS, NATURAL RESOURCES AND AGRICULTURE debate -
Wednesday, 14 Dec 2011

Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2011: Motions

The purpose of the meeting is to consider a motion concerning the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2011. I welcome the Minister and his officials and thank them for attending the joint committee in order to go over the regulations with us.

Members may be aware that on 7 December 2011, Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann referred the motion to this committee for our consideration and requested us to report back to both Houses not later than 15 December, which is tomorrow. Members have received a briefing pack.

Members of the joint committee are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that members should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I call on the Minister to make his opening statement.

I thank the Chairman and members for attending the committee for this discussion. If it is acceptable to the Chairman, I will give a presentation as to why this committee needs to be involved in this decision. We can then take a question and answer session or statements from anyone who wishes to make them.

As regards the background to the motion, the horse and greyhound racing industries receive financial support from the State through the horse and greyhound racing fund - henceforth referred to as the fund - under section 12 of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001, henceforth referred to as the Act. Payments are made from the fund to Horse Racing Ireland and to Bord na gCon by my Department.

In the period 2001 to date, a total of €730.46 million has been paid from the fund to the horse and greyhound racing industries in accordance with the provisions of the Act. State funding provided through this fund is pivotal to the survival and development of the horse and greyhound racing industries. The current ceiling on the fund of €730.46 million has been reached. In order for my Department to continue to make payments from the fund to these industries in 2012, the aggregate limit on the fund must be increased from the current limit of €730.46 million to €786.75 million, so as to allow for the provision of €56.29 million to Horse Racing Ireland and Bord na gCon, which is the amount allocated for this purpose in budget 2012.

The €56.29 million will be allocated as follows: 80% to HRI, which is €45.03 million, and 20% to Bord na gCon, which is €11.26 million, in accordance with section 12(6) of the Act. To give effect to this Estimates allocation it is necessary, under the relevant provisions of the Act, to have the increase in the horse and greyhound fund specified in a regulation. The aggregate limit of the fund was increased in this manner in 2004, 2009 and 2010.

Funding of both these organisations - Horse Racing Ireland and Bord na gCon - supports two important, productive industries and helps to sustain the role of the thoroughbred horse and greyhound breeding, training and racing enterprises in the general development of the rural economy. These industries, taken together, account for an estimated 27,000 jobs, generating approximately €1.4 billion in economic output and make a vital contribution to the rural economy, including farm incomes. These industries produce a good return on the State's investment and are a significant net contributor to the Exchequer. They tick all the boxes in terms of employment and foreign direct investment and are the type of export-oriented industries we need. In addition, they are very much part of our international reputation.

The fund has allowed Ireland to develop into a world centre of excellence for horse racing. It has also allowed Horse Racing Ireland to undertake a capital investment programme that has underpinned growth in the sector. The funding being provided to the greyhound racing sector helps sustain a long-standing tradition. This funding underpins the economic activity in what are, in many instances, less affluent regions of the country. It has also contributed significantly to the improved facilities now available at greyhound tracks around Ireland.

I will now deal with broadening the tax base related to this fund. The funding mechanism, which was established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001 Act, has proven not to be satisfactory in so far as it has required an increasing level of Exchequer funding over the years due to successive cuts in betting duty coupled with an increasing amount of betting activity migrating to tax-free platforms, that is, online.

The amount collected from excise duty on off-course betting has declined from a peak of €58.9 million in 2000 to an estimated yield of €27 million this year. Since 2002, the amount paid into the horse and greyhound racing fund has been a combination of the amount collected in excise duty from off-course betting plus direct Exchequer subvention. It is against this background that the Government recently decided to proceed with legislation to amend the Betting Act 1931. This will provide for the extension of the betting duty regime to remote or online betting. It is the Government's intention that this legislation will be introduced in the first quarter of 2012. We will be collecting betting revenue from online betting in the second half of next year.

The draft regulation before the joint committee provides for an amount totalling €56.29 million to be allocated to the horse and greyhound industries in 2012. This will be comprised of approximately €27 million from excise duty on off-course betting and the remaining €29.29 million in the form of a subvention from the Exchequer, through my Department. The 2012 allocation of €56.29 million compares with €57.29 million in 2011, which is a reduction of €1 million. I remind members that in 2008 this fund was €76 million, so there has been a dramatic reduction in the allocation to the horse and greyhound fund in recent years. That has the potential to take a serious toll on the industry because once funding falls below a certain level, lasting damage can be done. We can take questions on why that might be.

On Monday of this week, I announced that I will shortly be commissioning an external review of the structures and legislation governing the horse racing industry. The 1994 Irish Horseracing Industry Act and the 2001 Horse and Greyhound Racing Act achieved some structural reform. However, the reform process now needs to be further developed to ensure that governance and administrative procedures are modernised and fully effective in supporting a world-class horse racing industry. In taking this action, I am acutely aware of the huge effort and commitment given by so many in bringing the industry to where it is today. Now we must build on the achievements of the thoroughbred sector to date and provide a framework that will facilitate all of us who are concerned with the future of the racing industry in achieving growth, developing this great industry and optimising its potential for economic and sporting return for the country. The funding of the horse and greyhound sectors has been placed on a more secure footing due to the decisions we are taking. I will include funding issues in the review process we will announce in the coming days.

As I stated at the outset, State funding provided through the horse and greyhound fund is pivotal to the survival and development of the horse and greyhound racing industries in Ireland, which are part of an international industry. These very important industries require such funding for survival and to facilitate growth and development. The Government made a provision in the 2012 budget to allocate €56.29 million to the horse and greyhound fund and in order for the Department to distribute the money to Horse Racing Ireland and Bord na gCon in 2012, the aggregate limit of the fund to date must be increased pursuant to the provisions of section 12(5) of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001. On that basis, the draft regulation being considered by the committee today provides for an increase in the aggregate limit to the figure I outlined in order to facilitate payments next year. I am circulating a copy of the draft regulation to members.

Section 12(13) of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001 provides that a draft of these regulations be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and a resolution approving the draft be passed by each House before the regulations are made by the Minister. I am asking for the committee's support to ensure that Horse Racing Ireland and Bord na gCon receive the funding provided in the budget and that the very important role of these industries, with the employment they support and economic activity they generate, can be maintained. I commend this regulation to the committee and look forward to answering any questions.

I do not have any difficulty with the regulation. The Minister stated that the industry sustains 27,000 jobs and he indicated in the address that he intends to have the online betting legislation in the early part of 2012. Will it be in the first quarter? With regard to the funding going to the greyhound and horse racing industry, I presume this is audited and examined meticulously by the Department. Many industries would find it impossible to survive without State funding so will the Minister outline where the funding is spent by both Horse Racing Ireland and Bord na gCon? What streams of investment are targeted, such as advertising or provision of facilities? Will the Minister give a firm commitment on online betting? I understand provision was made in the Finance Act 2011 for that but it cannot be implemented until the betting (amendment) Bill has been brought forward. It is important that the legislation be published as soon as possible.

I thank the Minister for the contribution. Generally, I have no difficulty in supporting this but there must be pause for thought when we see so much being taken from people with disabilities. We must carefully ensure that every penny is well spent. I appreciate the value of the horse and greyhound racing industries. I accept that the fund must be increased and there has been a reduction of €1 million in the amount paid this year. I also appreciate the value of the jobs generated in the industry. However, it is not clear if this is a combination of capital and revenue or if it is just revenue expenditure.

With regard to online betting, I am a little unsure how the process described by the Minister can work without self-regulation from the online gambling industry. If I want to set up an online betting shop in Manorhamilton or Mongolia, I could do it but it would be very difficult for the authorities to trace my location, let alone my identity. I ask this from a position of ignorance. Is there some kind of worldwide self-regulation process to ensure that online betting is always legitimate? With regard to broadening the tax base, is there any projection of targets for online and on-course local betting to meet the shortfall of expenditure in both the greyhound and racing industries?

With the external review of the structures and regulation, I ask that the process incorporate what I see as major gaps in the racing horse welfare legislation. There is a recent case with which all of us would be fairly familiar and there is a major lacuna in that legislation. Will that be included in the external review?

I welcome this regulation and I am very happy to support it. Being a resident of the thoroughbred county I am all too aware of the value of the breeding of race horses and the greyhound industry. The funding measures are positive and the cut from last year recognises the difficult economic conditions we are experiencing. We should also recognise that cuts have been made over a number of years, as the Minister outlined.

I will concentrate more on the horse racing end than on breeding. The industry currently employs 16,000 people, which means there is a significant economic impact throughout the country. Only a few years ago the sector employed 22,000 people, which is a stark fact. We must work with the industry to get it back to what it was.

Horse racing is the shop window of the breeding industry, and how we fare on the racing side feeds into the breeding sector. They are both important and inextricably linked. We sometimes sell ourselves short as we punch way above our weight in Ireland when compared with bigger countries with much deeper pockets. Taking into account the current recession and the difficult economic circumstances we face, we do not need to try to reinvent the wheel and we must concentrate on what we are good at, which is an indigenous industry where we have the climate and expertise. Nothing ticks those boxes more than the horse racing and breeding industry.

I also welcome the proposed changes in the betting tax. I am aware of potential difficulties in implementation, and I hope we will learn from the experience of other countries which have gone before us in this regard. It is a starting point and if we need to tweak it as we go along, I have no doubt we can do so. The industry never wanted to be dependent on direct Exchequer funding, and that was not always the case. There is a desire to return to self-financing in a sustainable fashion, and the potential exists for it. It is our job to facilitate that and if it takes a couple of years, so be it. That is our goal and the direction in which we are going. I support the Minister in every step he takes in that regard.

I welcome the external review announced last Monday, which will ensure that every efficiency to be found within the industry will be unearthed. Any methods for improving the industry's commercial activity will also be explored. This is about facilitating the industry in getting back to a point where it can be self-financing. Although that is the goal, this direct financing from the Exchequer is required, and it is money well spent when one sees the return of an industry worth more than €1 billion to the economy.

I begin by congratulating the Minister on his budget. I reiterate my commitment and that of the Labour Party to farming families in this country. I welcome the Minister's proposals on the greyhound and horse racing industries. They are two very glamorous industries but behind them exists a less glamorous aspect. Would the Minister consider ring-fencing funding to try to alleviate some of the problems encountered by organisations such as the Irish Horse Trust and dog pounds throughout the country? Local authorities also have to deal with the problem of stray dogs and stray horses. The Minister is well aware that last year we acquired a bad reputation worldwide for how we treated horses, especially some of those involved in horse racing. Riding schools were asked to take horses for nothing because people could not feed them any more. I would like the Minister to make a commitment in that regard.

I thank the Minister for his presentation this morning. The Labour Party has done a U-turn since last year when it voted against the fund. I have no problem in most respects in supporting funding for the horse and greyhound industry. We have done it for many years because it was the right thing to do and it protected jobs. In the current circumstances I find it most difficult to vote in favour of allocating so much money when such terrible cuts have been made to children with disabilities and other disabled people. The Kerry Network of People with Disabilities provides services to 16,000 disabled people and their extended families. A cut of €40,000 will make a difference in terms of whether services can continue to be provided. I find that extremely difficult.

How many of the top racing trainers in the country are tax exiles? I wish to help the industry at a local level right across the country because greyhound tracks have a social side to them as well as a commercial side. They provide fantastic facilities for people to have a good night out at little cost.

Another aspect about which I am concerned is online betting. What is the Minister's intention in terms of the percentage to be taken from online betting for return to the Exchequer? The total for 2008 was €76 million and there was a reduction of €1 million this year. The Minister is seeking €56.2 million. Is there any way of taking a few million euro off the total to give to the Kerry Network of People with Disabilities or other groups around the country? It is a small amount overall but €1 million is a considerable sum for people with disabilities, especially when networks are closing down because they do not have the required €40,000 or €50,000 to keep going.

I and my colleague do not wish to vote against the measure or to advocate such a step because we are supportive of the 27,000 jobs that exist in the horse and greyhound industry. We are supportive of the social side associated with the industry and what is regenerated back into the economy. We want to support the industry but I would appreciate it if there was a way of reducing the total by even a couple of million euro in order that we could put money into keeping the networks for the disabled in operation. I refer to a small amount of money. The amount required in Kerry is €40,000 but the nationwide total that would make a difference could amount to as little as €2 million. If we could do that, it would be a statement of intent by the committee of how we value people who work for those with disabilities, many of them in a voluntary capacity.

I compliment the Minister on ensuring that the budget was maintained reasonably well this year compared with last year. It shows his ongoing commitment to rural areas. It is ironic that at present in the Dáil we are debating cuts to rural Ireland. The fund shows a commitment to rural Ireland given that every town and village in the country has a connection with the horse and greyhound industry. The industry provides a significant number of jobs which is very important. I am disappointed that Deputy Ferris would seek to cut back jobs by cutting back on the budget. We are all in favour of ensuring that we maintain the current number of jobs.

I welcome the proposal on online betting which has gone on under the radar for many years. I look forward to the generation of revenue from that source in the near future.

Could the Minister indicate if there is a work schedule for the potential development of racetracks in the coming year in the budget for the greyhound industry in particular and whether there are sufficient resources in the budget allocated to ensure that some of the stadia can be upgraded in the coming year? I welcome the budget. It is an ongoing commitment to rural areas. Rural Ireland and agriculture in general have not been regarded in recent years but we have turned a corner in that respect and I commend the Minister for his action in that regard.

I will try to answer all the questions if I can. In reply to Deputy Moynihan's question, this is a more complicated area than many realise. Many countries are trying to extend tax or levies to online commercial activity, not just gambling or betting. A number of countries are interested in getting revenue from online betting, linked with horse racing and greyhound racing. They are watching how we are going to do it. We will introduce legislation which will require bookies to get a licence to take an online bet from an Irish punter. The only way to police that is if one licenses people for the activity in the first place. If one does not do that, then one is trying to monitor the amount of online betting which is going on, which is virtually impossible unless one has the co-operation of the companies taking the bets.

There will be a licence fee that companies such as Paddy Power, Boyle Sports, Ladbroke's or whoever wants to take online bets will have to pay in order to be able to legally accept a bet from an Irish punter. Then they will have to declare their online betting turnover from people who are betting in this country. The turnover will be equivalent to the turnover from betting shops in terms of the 1% levy on the entire turnover. If there are cowboy operators who want to take bets without paying a licence fee and being properly regulated then we will have to shut them down. How we do that will be a challenge for us but we think it is possible to do it.

Online betting activity is impacted upon in different ways in various countries depending on the policy and regulation approach. Having spoken widely to stakeholders it appears that the best way to do it is to license it. All of the big bookmakers will pay for a licence. They will want to be part of the system rather than trying to buck the trend. Most punters will want to bet with the big names they trust given that they provide credit card details rather than with undercover or black market bookies on the Internet who are looking to take a bet and give out winnings without having to pay a levy. To an extent this is a pilot project. We are going to review it at the end of the year to see if it works. I think we should be charging a higher levy, in terms of the percentage of turnover. I have spoken to the Minister for Finance at length on this matter. We want to get the online revenue stream working properly with proper regulation and enforcement capacity to deal with it. None of our bookmakers who is playing by the rules should be disadvantaged and put in an uncompetitive position versus people who are not. That would be totally unacceptable. Once we get the system working we will review it at the end of the year. We will also review the rate of the levy if we think we should increase our revenue stream from online betting.

We are also planning to take a revenue stream from online betting exchanges. These are different from bookies. Betting exchanges, such as Betfair, facilitate two punters to bet against each other. A different tax regime will apply to them. Instead of taxing turnover we will ask for 15% of commission turnover. For every bet a betting exchange puts together it charges a commission. We will be taxing that commission at 15%, which is based on a similar tax in the United Kingdom. That is how we will get a revenue stream from online exchanges. We will get 1% of turnover from online bookies.

We will monitor this carefully. This year, we will take in about €27 million through the betting levy from bookies' shops. Next year, if we had the full year we would raise about €12 million from online activity by bookies and another €2 million from betting exchanges. They are guesstimates, but I think they are educated guesses. Because the legislation will only be put in place in the first quarter of next year, we will probably only get revenue in the second half of the year. I suspect there will be somewhere between €6 million and €10 million of extra revenue on top of what is already there.

The legislation will be published in January. I have already seen a draft. I want to bring it forward as quickly as possible so that we can pass it and get the new revenue stream into the Exchequer.

Let us visualise a graph showing betting duty, going back to 2001. In 2002, we were bringing in €68 million per year from betting duty. At that time, the duty was 5% of turnover. It went to 2% of turnover and then to 1% of turnover during the so-called party years when betting turnover was increasing each year. We went from a 10% rate to 5%, then to 2% and then to 1%. The revenue stream was maintained for a while because of increased activity but as economic circumstances changed the revenue stream decreased and the take from the 1% levy this year will be about €27 million. This comes nowhere near matching the financial commitment we need to make to keep the racing and greyhound industries intact.

This is not just an Irish industry. If it were we could manage it differently. In tough times we could reduce expenditure on it and everyone would just have to cope with that, and we could increase revenue when times were better. If we cut revenue and reduce prize money below a certain point, particularly in Irish horse racing, top race horses would be removed from Ireland. Race horses are movable commodities. They are often owned by non-Irish nationals who invest huge amounts of money in breeding and training their horses here because they see Ireland as the best place in the world to do that. They could quite easily move their horses to France, the UK, Australia or the United States. Breeders and trainers in those countries are trying to entice them to do that all the time. My fear is that in an effort to save money we will cut below the breaking point where people will decide to take top horses out of Ireland and place them somewhere else. The financial incentives we would need to get them back would not be affordable at any stage in the next ten or 15 years.

We are world leaders, particularly in horse racing. We are second to none. We are the biggest exporter of race horses in the European Union. This year, we will export approximately €150 million worth of race horses. As recently as this week, a senior Government official from Inner Mongolia was in Ireland looking to buy thoroughbred mares to breed in China, because they are trying to develop an industry there. All over the world, people look at race horses in Ireland as the standard setters. Our jockeys, breeders and, most importantly, trainers set the standard for the world. If we are to maintain that reputation we must spend money.

How do we create a situation where the industry is, by and large, self-financing through the betting that takes place on the back of the industry so that we do not have to compete for funds with other very vulnerable sectors which Deputies have, rightly, raised this morning? The context of this is important. There have been significant cutbacks in a series of areas. We are reviewing some of the disability payments, as the Deputy knows, because we think a mistake was made. As far as I am concerned, if one makes a mistake one should set about correcting it.

We get back far more than we give to the racing industry, financially as well as in a series of other ways in rural communities. The horse racing industry is worth about €1.1 billion and greyhound racing is worth between €300 million and €400 million. If we are to keep that industry, and all the people who are employed by it and enjoy it, intact, we need to maintain a funding stream. If we fall below a certain breaking point we will undermine the foundations of the industry. That is the point we are at in horse racing in Ireland.

I do not want to over-egg this argument, but let us look at what they are doing in France at present. They are trying to entice horses from Ireland, and investment that traditionally comes to Ireland from all over the world, into France. This year, the betting turnover in France is about €9 billion. The state will have a tax take of €1.5 billion from that and will spend €750 million in direct supports to horse racing in France. In Ireland we have a turnover of €4 billion, we will have a tax take of €27 million and we will spend about €45 million on horse racing. That compares with €750 million in France, our direct competitor.

It is important to understand that context, as well as the context of the budget, cutbacks and the difficulties families are facing. If, in four or five years, we have a small-time racing industry in Ireland rather than being an international leader, people will look at me and ask what I was doing when I allowed funding to fall below a certain tipping point from which we did not manage to come back. That is why I am so protective of the industry at this point.

We have made a cut. Every sector has to deal with less. Coming down from €70 million to €56.5 million per year in supports for these two industries is a significant drop. At some stage we need to put a floor under that drop. I have provided a response with regard to how we will deal with enforcement and regulation.

A number of questions were raised with regard to welfare of race horses and generally. One of the areas in which I have increased funding this year is for animal welfare organisations which are coping with increased numbers of dogs and horses. There is a massive amount of voluntary work being done in this regard and in the bigger scheme, the funding being provided by the Department is very small. However, it is important that we signal to the people doing significant voluntary work and putting private money into caring for animals that they deserve support from the Department. We have also provided a lot of money to local authorities this year to deal with an increase in the number of abandoned horses that need humane treatment. We also intend to introduce new animal welfare legislation, hopefully next week, but I am not sure the Office of the Attorney General will return it to us by then. If not, the legislation will be introduced early in January. This legislation will introduce new legal responsibilities and codes of conduct for animal welfare organisations. It will also introduce regulations that not only make it illegal to organise a dog fight but make it illegal to attend a dog fight. Until now, it has been hard for gardaí to get convictions in cases where they raid a venue where a dog fight is taking place, but in the future it will be illegal to attend a dog fight. If people are aware of specific instances of cruelty or maltreatment of horses in the race horse industry, they should report that to the Garda. They do not need to wait for legislation in that regard, as there is legislation that can be used to deal with that. However, we intend to improve animal welfare legislation early in the new year.

I have a supplementary question on that issue. Will the animal welfare legislation include specific provision for the welfare of racing horses? Currently, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine does not have that responsibility.

The fact the legislation is being introduced by my Department does not mean that everything in it is the responsibility of the Department in terms of enforcement.

I understand that.

I am aware of the particular case the Deputy is talking about and I have made it very clear to the individual concerned that if he has a complaint to make, the appropriate place to make that complaint is to the Garda Síochána. If anyone has breached the law regarding the treatment of race horses, the Garda should be able to follow it up. The Deputy will see the detail of the legislation when the draft copy is issued within days or weeks.

Questions were raised regarding the number of top trainers and tax exiles. I will give some of the numbers in this regard so that people understand what we are talking about. In 2010, there were 4,667 race horse owners, 7,781 registered breeders, 785 licensed training establishments and over 23,000 stallions, mares and foals in Ireland. These are significant numbers. Only a handful of race horse trainers are tax exiles, but I do not have an exact number.

I am as unhappy about tax exiles as the Deputy, which is why we have introduced new measures in the budget with regard to achieving a tax take from them. We will continue to review the situation and to introduce new measures whenever we can. The Deputy is talking about a handful of wealthy owners and trainers who are tax exiles. I would like to take more tax from those people. However, most of those at the heart of the industry are decent people who are working hard. They are up at 6 a.m. training horses or greyhounds and they are not earning big pay packets. Many of them are stablehands who work extremely long hours in these establishments. Others are suppliers of hay and feed to the industry. I agree there is a high end in the industry, but these are also the people who keep Ireland's reputation at the top of the tree. The reality is that we want wealthy people from inside and outside Ireland to invest their money in the expertise and systems we have here to produce the top race horses in the world and do not want to frighten those people away. However, I agree that if Irish people are tax exiles, we should try to capture more tax from their income if possible. This applies to sectors other than the race horse industry also. I agree on the principle, but I would not target horse racing any more than any other sector.

With regard to how funding to the race horsing industry is spent, a significant percentage goes to prize money so that we can keep group 1 race horses and have high quality races taking place on our big racecourses, such as Fairyhouse, Leopardstown, the Curragh, Punchestown or wherever. It is because we have big international races in Ireland that people bring their horses here and sometimes have them trained here.

How much is allocated in prize money?

Last year, Horse Racing Ireland assigned approximately €30 million to prize money. The overall prize money fund is higher than that, because owners contribute 26% of total prize money, a higher percentage than in any other country. The contribution in France is much lower. Although we provide significant State support in prize funds, we also ask owners to contribute. By charging them to enter horses in races, they contribute more than 25% of the total prize money available.

Does €30 million out of the €45 million funding go to prize money?

Yes. The structure with regard to how money is spent in the greyhound industry is slightly different. Significantly more money is spent on race tracks and on putting infrastructure in place than on prize money. There has been phenomenal development with regard to greyhound tracks over the past ten years here and that is where most of the money has gone. However, for horse racing, if we are to keep the prestige and the big races in Ireland, we must have prize money that matches or comes close to what is on offer in the United Kingdom and France.

Were there any other questions?

I take it this funding concerns revenue only. Is there a separate allocation for capital?

No, it covers current and capital spending. Obviously, money is required for the upkeep of horse racing stadiums and courses. As the Deputy may know, a proposed project for the Curragh will probably proceed over the next four or five years. Due to the limited availability of funding currently, we will not see any massive capital projects in terms of any significant expenditure next year, but we have a plan for future spend in the context of our budgets.

Deputy Deering asked whether further stadium development is planned by Bord na gCon. I believe there is, but that is a decision for Bord na gCon. It must come back with a programme and discuss it with the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, who has responsibility for the greyhound industry, if it wants approval for that and wants to take it forward. Whether it is Horse Racing Ireland or Bord na gCon, it needs to work within its budget. If it goes beyond that amount, it needs to find additional income streams. HRI and Bord na gCon are increasing their revenue streams from broadcasting rights. It is their job to do deals with different broadcasters to try to maximise opportunities for revenue streams apart from what they receive from the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund.

I thank the Minister. As our report must be completed in time for tomorrow, can I take it that the joint committee recommends that there should be no further debate on the motions by the Dáil or Seanad? Agreed. That concludes our consideration of the motions.

We have concerns and adjustments could be made in some instances.

The Deputy noted his concerns in his contribution.

We want them recorded, as they are serious.

I thank the Minister and his officials. Deputy Phelan has departed, but today was her first contribution to the committee since being appointed to it yesterday following an order of the Dáil last Thursday. I wish her well.

I also wish every member, the Minister, his officials, the editorial and broadcasting staff, the ushers and the secretariat a happy Christmas and new year. Everyone will agree that we have had a long year. We are still learning.

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