Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 October 2016
255. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the Irish Harness Racing Association; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31324/16]
View answerAs I stated in my previous reply, the Irish Harness Racing Association (IHRA) are beneficiaries, for the first time, of an Equine Infrastructure grant scheme operated by my Department. The IHRA has been approved for grants totalling €21,704 under this scheme, with a view to supporting this sector in a targeted way.
The tender for an independent evaluator to complete an economic evaluation of the potential of the Harness Racing sector in Ireland, is now well advanced and it is hoped that an evaluator will have been appointed by early December.
As I stated previously, on publication of this economic evaluation, I will consider the request for funding for this sector. Until that time, no further funding requests can be considered.
