Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Friday, 14 Dec 2001

Vol. 546 No. 6

Horse Racing Ireland (Membership) Bill, 2001: Second and Subsequent Stages.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh)

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

This Bill proposes to amend the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, which was enacted in July last and which provided for a significant restructuring of the way the horseracing industry is organised and funded. The Act provided, among other things, for the establishment of a new body – Horse Racing Ireland, HRI, to replace the Irish Horseracing Authority and to take over certain functions from the Racing Regulatory Body.

Since the legislation was passed it has been widely welcomed across all sectors of the industry. There is recognition that the new and unified structure and the security of the substantial funding that the Act gives to Irish racing will position it well for the future. However, one problem has arisen in relation to the detailed provisions of paragraph 16 of the schedule to the Act relating to the composition of the board of HRI.

Under the Act, the Racing Regulatory Body has five seats on the board of Horse Racing Ireland and the racecourses, racehorse owners, trainers, breeders, bookmakers, employees and the sector in Northern Ireland have one seat each. This composition was decided on to reflect fair representation for all major sectors in the industry which depend on horseracing for their livelihoods. The substantive change in the structure of and funding for Irish racing in the Act is to give the industry direct responsibility to guide and promote the development of its own business.

While under the Act I have arranged for broad ranging representation on a sectoral basis my vision is for a cohesive board rising above all sectoral interests and operating exclusively for the common good and the long-term interest of the whole industry.

I have already appointed an interim board to Horse Racing Ireland. The board has applied itself with enthusiasm to carrying out the work that needs to be completed before the formal establishment of HRI including the selection and appointment of a chief executive for the new body. I intend to formalise the establishment of HRI under an establishment day order as soon as all the necessary preparatory work has been completed.

A very strong case was made to me before, during and since the enactment of the legislation that, to achieve the objective of giving the industry control over its own business, the people appointed to the board should, as far as possible, be those engaged at the coal face of the industry. For this reason when it came to appointing the employees' representative, I was anxious to provide an opportunity for representation for those who work directly with horses and who make a major contribution to the sector.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, has been the nominating body for the representative of persons employed in the horseracing industry on the board of the Irish Horseracing Authority since its establishment in 1994 and I acknowledge that their nominee has served the industry very well over the years. However, I was anxious this time, especially in light of widespread representations made to me, to give an opportunity to the other employees who are not affiliated to that organisation to serve on the board. After some informal consultation with the industry and taking account of the objectives of the legislation, I decided on this occasion to appoint a representative from the Stable Staffs Association. The stable staff are among the lowest paid employees in the sector and often work in difficult conditions. They had not previously been represented on any of the decision making fora in Irish racing and given their important and essential, although often forgotten, role in this business, I believed the time was right to give them such representation now.

I have since received strong representations from ICTU, MANDATE and SIPTU that a nominee of theirs should have been appointed to represent the persons employed in the industry on the basis that they represent the majority of employees in the sector. They have indicated that they are prepared to take legal action in pursuit of their case on this issue.

It was not ever my intention to overlook the employees represented by those two unions and ICTU. The appointment of the representative of the Stable Staffs Association to the board of HRI was not considered to be a permanent arrangement. The Act, in paragraph 16 of the schedule, provides for rotation of board members. From the outset, three members will retire each year. The legislation does not require me to regard the same persons or organisations to be representative of the various industry interests and to be the nominating bodies on each occasion on which I have to make an appointment. It was my intention that when the person to represent the employees in the industry came to be re-nominated this would be done in consultation with ICTU. Other employee groups who are not members of unions affiliated to ICTU but, nonetheless, do important jobs in the industry should be given reasonable opportunity to be represented on HRI from time to time.

The case made by the unions for immediate representation on the board of HRI is compelling. MANDATE and SIPTU represent many administrative, technical, official and professional staff directly employed in the horseracing industry. Their work is fundamental to the success that Irish racing has achieved in recent years. I pay tribute again to their representative on the IHA who has served with dedication and has made a tremendous contribution to the work of the board. In consideration of this, and as a reflection of the value this Government places on partnership with unions, I wish to accede to their request.

I remain strongly of the view that there should be a place on the board for key people like the stable staff. They make a unique contribution to the horseracing industry. We entrust them with our highly valuable racehorses, and in those circumstances, we should give them a well deserved say in the future of Irish racing. I am satisfied the sector will be better off for it.

To resolve this problem, I propose to regard ICTU as the nominating body for the persons employed in the industry. I propose to amend the 2001 Act by increasing the number of board members by one. This will allow a representative of those employed directly in the horseracing industry – on this occasion the Stable Staffs Association – to be appointed to the board also and I propose that this should be done by direct ministerial appointment.

I take this opportunity to make one or two other minor technical changes. As it stands, the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, provides for the appointment of a board consisting of a chairman and 12 ordinary members.

The Bill now before the House essentially proposes to amend the Horse and Greyhound Rac ing Act, 2001, so as to increase the number of ordinary members of the board of Horse Racing Ireland from 12 to 13 with the additional member to be appointed by the Minister. There are some other minor technical amendments.

As the establishment day order for HRI has not yet been made, it is necessary to give effect to these changes, to replace paragraph 16 of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, in its entirety. That paragraph contained all the amendments in the 2001 Act to the original schedule of the Irish Horseracing Industry Act, 1994. This Bill proposes to re-state those amendments with provision this time for an extra board member and some further associated changes. However, most of the provisions of the schedule to the 1994 Act as amended by paragraph 16 of the 2001 Act remain unchanged.

Following are the provisions of the Bill; section 1 (1) (a) increases the number of ordinary members of HRI from 12 to 13.

The main changes consequential on the increase in board membership which this Bill proposes are contained in subparagraphs (1) (c) (d) and (e) of a new paragraph 7 for the 1994 schedule to be inserted by section 1 (1) (b) of this Bill.

Subparagraph (1) (c) of the new paragraph 7 removes the nomination of the union's representative from the requirement that such nominee had to be elected in similar fashion to the other industry interests. The new provision will allow a nominee to be selected using a consultative process within ICTU involving all of the unions, with employees in this sector, affiliated to the congress rather than an electoral one.

Subparagraph (1) (d) of the new paragraph 7 provides for the direct appointment by the Minister of one person from persons employed directly in the horseracing industry, thereby allowing employees such as stable staff, who play a key role in the industry, to be represented on HRI.

Subparagraph (1) (e) of the new paragraph 7 also removes the nomination of the representative of horseracing in Northern Ireland from the election requirement as such an election process may not be conveniently feasible and provides that such member of HRI will be appointed directly by the Minister after consultation with horseracing interests in Northern Ireland.

Section 1 (1) (c) sets out the terms of office of the chairman and the ordinary members of HRI and the rotation arrangements all of which remain unchanged from the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001.

Section 1 (1) (d) concerns a technicality relating to filling a vacancy on the board of HRI and is unchanged from the provision in the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001. Section 1(2) repeals paragraph 16 of the schedule to the Act of 2001. Section 1(3) provides that subsection (1) shall come into operation on the same establishment day as provided for in the 2001 Act so that the provisions of that Act relating to the estab lishment of HRI and this Bill will come into effect at the same time.

Section 1(4) provides a definition. Section 2 provides a short title for this Bill when enacted. I commend this Bill to the House.

Mr. Dukes

I propose to share time with Deputy Barrett. This Bill is an admission of incompetence on the part of the Minister. The Bill went through this House and a select committee last May and it was enacted last June.

On the final day of the session before Christmas, the Minister is making a commencement order and a change in the composition of the board. This is another admission of incompetence because he got it wrong the first time around. The Minister has put himself in a position where ICTU and two trade unions appear to be contemplating legal action to vindicate their right to nominate members to the board. The Minister should not have allowed himself to be put in that position and this is an indication of incompetence in the original Bill. It is not as if the Minister was not asked on many occasions to think again about what he was doing.

Without the slightest disrespect to any members of the current board, it is a dangerous thing to appoint people to State boards on the basis of private recommendations made by colleagues. When one operates in that kind of informal way one can get into trouble. That is why the Minister is coming into the House today with egg on his face. I understand the position of ICTU and the two unions, given the history of representation and the work of the union representatives on previous boards.

A group of people in the industry appears to have found itself outside the range of interest of the unions. There is also perhaps a group which was not especially enamoured at being represented by the unions. That situation has been remedied by the Minister in a way which has created the problem we have today. We should not find ourselves in this position nor should we be here in the last hour of the last day of this session putting through all Stages of a Bill of this kind.

The Minister proposes to make one change and some minor technical amendments to the main Act. If we reach Committee Stage in this deplorable procedure I intend to propose another change, that in addition to having a trade union representative on the board – I do not oppose the Minster's amendment in that regard – provision should be made for a representative of racegoers to be included. I made this proposal on Committee Stage of the original Bill but the Minister, rather uncomfortably, refused to agree. I am not sure if he believes in fairies but he appears to believe in magic arts because he told me on Second and Committee Stages of the original Bill that it would not be possible to get a person who would properly represent racegoers. Yet, he apparently has no difficulty in deciding on the nomination of bodies to represent racegoers in a consultative forum. It is apparently possible in the Minister's world to have racegoers in a forum but not on the board of the company. Frankly, I do not believe a word he says. It is not that he cannot do this or that it is impossible, simply that the Minister will not do it. I wonder why.

With his usual geniality and deflection of attention from the main issues, the Minister solemnly informed me on Second and Committee Stages that a racegoers' representative on the board was not necessary because most board members would be punters. That is disingenuous. The other members of the board have other legitimate interests to represent and are not there as punters. While they may be punters – some of them enthusiastically so – they represent other interests, as set out in the main Act.

It is a deficiency that there is not a representative of racegoers qua racegoers on the board for reasons of which the Minister is well aware. The business would not exist without racegoers. None of the panoply, the show, the excitement and the interest we all see and enjoy would exist if large numbers of people were not prepared to go to the races. There would be no prestigious races and none of the excitement of the big races or the camaraderie of the small ones if people were not prepared to go to the races on Saturdays and now, thank God, on Sundays and other days of the week. Racegoers are the lifeblood of the industry.

Any board of the kind of authority under consideration here on which racegoers are not represented is incomplete. It is idle to say, as the Minister undoubtedly will, that all or the vast majority of board members are punters. I do not know if that is the case. There may also be some board members who know the industry too well to punt. Whatever the position, they are not there to represent the interests of racegoers. A board of this kind would be significantly strengthened by having on it a person whose mandate it is to represent the interests of racegoers.

The Minister will rightly say that in recent years many racetracks have made substantial improvements in the standard of facilities available to racegoers. That can be said about the Curragh, next door to my home, Naas, Punchestown, Cork – I nearly said Mallow – and many other racecourses around the country. Very desirable improvements have been made in all of these cases, albeit a few years later than they should have. I am sure the Minister would agree. Had there been a strong, dedicated voice for racegoers in the right councils at the time there would have been better representation.

The Minister and one or two of his Cabinet colleagues are assiduous racegoers. However, they do not have to jostle at the bar to get their drinks or in the restaurant to get a sandwich or plate of smoked salmon. It is handed to them and they should enjoy that privilege. In view of this, the board would be immeasurably improved by hav ing among its membership a dedicated representative of racegoers.

I do not oppose the other proposed changes but it would be a fitting end to what has been a trying year for the Minister if he were to accept my amendment. I urge him to do so in the limited time between now and Committee Stage, provided for under the appalling procedure to which he has agreed.

Mr. Barrett

I wish to declare an interest in so far as I am a steward and former director at Leopardstown racecourse. I wish that to be noted on the record lest I am asked to appear before the ethics committees. I did not get paid for these activities.

Mr. Dukes

The Deputy might end up in Mountjoy Prison with no reprieve for Christmas.

Mr. Barrett

I agree with the views expressed by Deputy Dukes on the question of representation. Where boards comprise members representing groups there is always a danger that they will be obliged to consider how decisions will affect the group and not the overall situation. A trade union representative will look after the members associated with the industry. Equally, a representative with an independent mind who can speak on behalf of the racegoers should be on the board.

I ask the Minister to outline the proposals on the tracks owned by Horse Racing Ireland, such as those at Leopardstown, Navan and so on. The track at Leopardstown, a course of international repute and a major tourism attraction, is the only remaining track in Dublin and caters for 1.5 million people. Unfortunately, some bright people have decided that, after 120 years of racing at Leopardstown, a motorway is to be put through the race track. I find this absolutely extraordinary. As my colleague, Deputy Gilmore, can confirm, when the line of the proposed motorway first came before Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, the engineers said this was the least preferred option. However, what was then the least preferred option, namely the line through the race track, is now the line being used and nobody seems to know how this came about. In addition to damaging the track itself and its whole environment, the proposed road will also destroy the golfing facility which had been developed in the centre of the track which has produced substantial revenue to improve the race track facilities. The golf course has been a major facility for thousands of people, particularly for women taking up golf. It is extraordinary, when we are trying to increase prize money – I welcome the latest increase of £750,000 – that such a valuable asset as Leopardstown Racecourse should be destroyed. I do not know what influence the Minister may have in the matter at this late stage to stop this nonsense. If this was a listed building, a Georgian building that had been in existence for 120 years, there would be an outcry if the local authority allowed a brick to be changed. However, it seems that a race track that has been in existence for 120 years can be destroyed and nobody says a word about it. I did not see any objections from An Taisce or other bodies about this, apart from some public representatives, including Deputy Gilmore and myself. We seem to be up against a stone wall on the issue.

As part of this Bill, there should be a board of directors, properly constituted, for each of the tracks owned by the State. It should also provide for representation from the area concerned and people who would ensure this kind of nonsense would not be allowed to happen. No matter what compensation is given – even £50 million – for the loss of the facility in Leopardstown, it can never be recreated. God only knows what damage will be done to the drainage system of the area during the construction of the road. It is unclear what will be done in relation to car parking. None of those issues has been openly debated.

In terms of the structures and management of the racing industry, we should ensure our tracks are protected and that the Minister's Department and other Departments with an interest in the matter are quick to lodge objections against any unsuitable proposal. I am in favour of building a proper road network and it would be a different matter if there was only one route available for the particular motorway to which I have referred. However, it is inexplicable that the option now selected is the one which the engineers described ten years ago as the least preferred. Apart from the loss of revenue from the golf course, the loss of that facility affects a great number of people, including possibly as many as 1,000 women who have their own golfing societies based there. It is a public facility, on a pay-as-you-play basis, introducing people to a sport and generating great revenue for ongoing improvements to the track. I do not know where future funding will be found for the continuous investment needed to keep facilities up to standard. Will it come from the punters or the State coffers, simply because a motorway is to go through the race track? The local authority, if my information is correct, had to pay £32 million in compensation to replace a plot of land that had been designated for housing. That is absolute madness.

I ask the Minister, in his reply to the debate, to outline his proposals in relation to the management structure of the tracks, particularly those owned by the State and, if it is possible at this late stage, to intervene in the Leopardstown case with a view to having the proposed motorway follow one of the alternative routes available.

Mr. Wall

I wish to share time with Deputies Gilmore and McGahon.

An Ceann Comhairle

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Mr. Wall

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Clearly, the Bill is now before the House because there was an error of judgment in its initial stages of preparation earlier this year. I welcome the provision of a place for representatives of employees of the racing industry on the board. The workers are a vital part of the industry, including those in the stables, racecourses, the tote and the many other facilities involved. They will have two representatives on the board. The organisations represented on the board will include the authorised racecourses, racehorse owners, trainers, breeders and bookmakers. The missing link, as Deputy Dukes said, is representation of the punters, the race-going public. I regret that the Minister did not complete the circle in that regard. Satisfied punters are essential to the success of the entire industry and to its future development. Indeed, they are the most important part of the entire operation. I ask the Minister to consider the amendment put forward by Deputy Dukes in that respect. Major racing festivals are developing at an almost incredible rate in this country, such as those at Galway, Tralee, Killarney and Listowel. However, the more local events during the winter months are not so well supported and have not got the resources to provide for increased prize money to make the ordinary one day meetings a success. In such circumstances, it is difficult for racecourses to have a profitable tote or to offer a jackpot or place prize of any significance.

It is vital that punters should be represented on the board of Horse Racing Ireland. As previous speakers stated, those who are already members of the board are interested in promoting the particular areas they represent. We are not facilitating the most important people of all, however, namely paying customers. I recently met a person who cares for a number of senior citizens at a certain hospital and who decided to bring 25 of them, many in wheelchairs, on an outing to a race meeting. When they arrived, they discovered that the price of admission for OAPs was only £1 less than the normal price. That is unbelievable.

Deputy Dukes referred to the many racetracks in County Kildare which have been magnificently developed in recent years. It is great to see successful race meetings being held at Punchestown which experienced many difficulties in the past. In the overall context of trying to increase the numbers attending race meetings, surely a larger concession than £1 per head off the price of admission could be offered to OAPs and to sizeable groups.

The Stable Staffs Association is delighted by the fact that it will be represented on the board. This move was initiated in County Kildare, in which the largest number of stables in the country are located. The representative of the association will be a welcome addition to the board. I hope the Minister, through his contacts in the Cabinet, will ensure that the association is given recognition by the ICTU to which it has made an application. It is only right that the ICTU should recognise the association because it represents many others like it. The Stable Staffs Association would benefit from guidance from the other unions that come under the ICTU umbrella. The members of the association, who, as the Minister stated, are among the lowest paid in the sector, would greatly appreciate it if it was recognised by the ICTU.

I hope that membership of the board of Horse Racing Ireland will give the members of the Stable Staffs Association a new platform and will lead to an improvement in their working conditions. The number of racetracks which do not have adequate facilities for these people is too large and a further initiative must be taken in respect of providing proper facilities for the staff who look after horses on race days. A number of these people are expected to stay overnight on racecourses to look after the animals in the run up to some of the major racing festivals.

I hope the Minister will give further consideration to appointing a representative of racegoers to the board. I am aware that he is a punter himself and I have seen him at many race meetings. Deputies McGahon and Wright are also keen racegoers. In that context, perhaps the Minister could choose a Member of the House as the racegoers' representative. Deputy Barrett would be an ideal choice in that regard.

Mr. McGahon

He does not need the money.

Mr. Wall

If the number of people attending race meetings does not increase, the entire racing industry will suffer.

An Ceann Comhairle

There are nine minutes remaining in this time slot for Deputies Gilmore and McGahon. The Minister has agreed to share five minutes of his time with Deputy Wright.

Mr. Dukes

Deputy Wright will support the amendment.

Mr. Gilmore

I thank Deputy Wall for sharing time with me. I join Deputy Barrett in drawing the Minister's attention to what is happening at Leopardstown racecourse. It beggars belief that the Minister for the Environment and Local Government decided to run a motorway through one of the country's premier—

An Ceann Comhairle

That is not really relevant to the debate on the Bill.

Mr. Gilmore

With respect, it is relevant because this Bill is aimed at amending the membership of the Irish Horseracing Authority which owns Leopardstown racecourse. The Minister for the Environment and Local Government decided to run a motorway through the racecourse and did so despite the fact that there was an alternative route available through the county council's dump. That route was originally selected by the county council in the period 1992 to 1993. A num ber of public representatives, including Deputy Barrett and myself, fought the attempt to run the motorway through the racecourse. It is remarkable, as the Deputy stated, that there has not been the kind of public hue and cry one would normally expect about a decision of this nature.

I recall attending the public inquiry into the building of this motorway and I argued that it should not be run through the racecourse. To my amazement, representatives of the Irish Horseracing Authority, which had originally objected to the motorway being run through Leopardstown racecourse, appeared before the inquiry and withdrew its objection. This was done, apparently, on the basis of a deal worked out with the local authority for a land swap. As Deputy Barrett stated earlier, that land swap has resulted in the local authority having to spend more than £30 million to purchase replacement land for its housing programme. It has also resulted in a requirement that the racecourse must be redesigned. The redesigning of the racecourse will result in the existing 18 hole golf facility located there being reduced to a nine hole facility.

The golf facility at the racecourse is used by 30 golfing societies. Those societies have 2,500 members, most of whom are women for whom golf is their main means of recreation. These people will be deprived of this recreational facility if the racecourse is redesigned in the manner outlined. I attempted to question the Minister about this issue last week during Question Time but was informed that it is a matter for the Irish Horseracing Authority. I and other public representatives have written to the chief executive of the authority asking him to meet with us but he declined to do so and stated that it is a matter for the management at the racecourse.

There is a need for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development to intervene in this matter. He must direct the management at the racecourse and the Irish Horseracing Authority to redesign the racecourse in a way that accommodates the members of the golfing societies to which I refer and ensures that the 18 hole golf course remains in place. If the Minister for the Environment and Local Government can conclude an agreement with the Irish Farmers Association for compensation to be paid to farmers over whose land motorways are being built, he must also ensure that the golf facility at Leopardstown is not lost. If he does not – I do not say this as a political threat – various Ministers of State – I refer here to Deputies Seamus Brennan, Tom Kitt, O'Donnell, Eoin Ryan and Hanafin – and Deputy Andrews will find that this is the biggest issue with which they will be obliged to deal in the forthcoming general election campaign. I do not want to diminish the anger felt by the people who will be affected by this decision. It is a major issue which should be addressed as a matter of urgency. I ask the Minister to call in the chairman and the chief executive of the Horse Racing Authority and direct them to redesign the racecourse in a way which will involve no loss of public amenity or facility to the people concerned. It is bad enough that the decision was made in the first place to put a motorway through one of the country's premier racecourses without also completely discommoding the people who use the ancillary recreational facilities.

Mr. McGahon

I find it amazing, following the closure some years ago of Baldoyle Racecourse and of the Phoenix Park Racecourse, one of the finest tracks in Europe, leaving Dublin totally dependent on one metropolitan course, that this barbaric act should have been embarked on. The desecration of the sprint course at Leopardstown is inexcusable. I join my colleagues, particularly Deputy Gilmore, in asking the Minister to stop it. He has the power to do so in circumstances where the Taoiseach could commit £50 million to the GAA which already has quite adequate resources and turn a blind eye to the desecration of Leopardstown Racecourse, a track of which we can all be proud and which compares favourably with any track of which I am aware in the British Isles. It is inexcusable, particularly since, as Deputies Barrett and Gilmore have said, there was an alternative favoured by county council engineers. I find it inexplicable that any Government should allow that to happen. I shed no tears for lady golfers – we might be safer from misguided shots if some of them were up the Dublin mountains. I am concerned about the punters and the preservation of the lovely racetrack at Leopardstown, the only metropolitan track left in Dublin.

Bacon's seat on this body should be given to the Racegoers Club of Ireland. Mention of the Racegoers Club brings to mind one man and that is Kevin Smyth who has done tremendous work for the Racegoers Club and for Irish racing in a very unassuming manner. He does not seek the limelight. If given a seat he would bring a great deal of knowledge of the horse racing industry and, if I may use a pun, a great deal of horse sense and common sense to this body.

In Ireland we sometimes under value the horse racing industry. It employs 14,000 people, more than the Garda Síochána or the Army. It makes a tremendous contribution to our export market. In English racing, particularly national hunt racing, virtually every jockey of any consequence is Irish. It is a wonderful industry for us. It is one of the industries associated internationally with Ireland. I congratulate the racing authorities on the great increase in prize money there has been in recent times, which contrasts quite starkly with the very small amounts of money available in English racing today. That has encouraged many owners to stay in Ireland. While I, as the owner of the leg of a horse, have not as yet got any of that loot I hope to in the forthcoming weeks.

I reiterate my support for my colleagues. It is preposterous that the lovely track at Leopardstown, so pleasant on a summer's evening or at any time of the year, could be desecrated, that it could actually be torn up and lost to Irish racegoers. I ask the Minister not to let it happen.

Mr. Wright

I welcome the extra prize money that has been put into the industry in recent years, from the great capital expenditure on our racecourses, including Navan and Fairyhouse, to the superb facilities that are available.

On media coverage of racing, I would ask the Minister to use his influence with the new board to tackle the disgraceful lack of coverage by RTE of the racing industry which is now down to about 27 days a year. Our national station could not find the time or the resources to cover a recent meeting at Fairyhouse on Sunday week of three grade 1 races that brought the attention of radio and television from all over Europe. That meeting was the showpiece of national hunt racing prior to the Christmas meetings at Leopardstown. The board should open negotiations on the coverage of one of our most important indigenous industries.

There are many other festival meetings that should be covered. I refer to those at Tralee and Listowel in County Kerry. Some effort should be made to cover them. That there is no Irish racing on the racing channel at the moment is a disaster for the industry. As other speakers have mentioned, one of the success stories in sport and otherwise is horse racing, including our horses, trainers and jockeys. The whole industry is a success story world-wide. An opportunity to capitalise on that is being lost and something should be done about that. I hope in the next session we will get an opportunity to have an extensive debate on the whole industry because there are many other facets of it I would like to discuss and on which work needs to be done.

I support Deputy Barrett's view that there should be a role for the new board in the appointment of the boards of racecourses that are owned by the racing board. He makes the very valid point that the board, whatever its shape and form, should represent the particular area, whether it is Leopardstown, Fairyhouse or Punchestown. Those courses should have a local appointment to their boards. I have received representations from the Irish Racecourse Association which has also made representations to the Minister on its desire for a second appointment on the board. It makes a point of its commitment of investment in the industry and the fact that it is a shop window for the racecourses.

The lack of resources for the coverage of a national industry which is a real success story is disgraceful. Will the Minister use his good offices with the board to open up negotiation with a view to increasing coverage of a fast-growing sport in both horse racing and greyhound racing, a growth which the numbers attending through the turnstiles and betting turnover demonstrates.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh)

I thank Deputies for their very positive contributions to the debate. As always on this subject in this House, the statements and the points made were not only interesting but very constructive and showed a depth of detailed knowledge not just of the overall industry but of the detail of individual racecourses such as Leopardstown as well. This is not surprising. As I have said on many occasions, there is scarcely a town or village in the country that does not benefit in some way from activities associated with racing. The current figure for attendance at horse racing is 1.35 million while approximately one million people attend greyhound racing. In fact, attendances at greyhound racing is rapidly catching up on attendances at horse racing and, judging by the recent fixtures I attended, the age profile of people at the venues is younger.

Everyone has grown up, in one way or another, with racing. The industry is well worth supporting. I thank the Members who contributed to this debate. I thank Deputy Dukes in particular for how constructively he dealt not only with this Bill but also with the National Stud legislation earlier this year. His amendments to that legislation strengthened the position of the National Stud.

Mr. Dukes

Just like the amendments to this Bill.

Mr. Walsh

I was able to accept his amendments then but, regrettably, I cannot accept them on this occasion. The Deputy's amendments relate to racegoers but we have a fundamental difference in how we approach this matter. I believe that when members of HRI attend board meetings they should represent the entire industry. They should not come to the meetings with tags showing that they represent sectors of the industry. They should put that to one side and be the board of directors for the industry and progress it.

It has been said that there is now good prize money in Ireland. It has improved greatly and compares favourably with our nearest neighbour but it is still far below the prize money in many other countries. It was 27th in the international league but following improvements in the last year or so our position improved by a few points. In fact, I would be delighted if the team I follow in the Premiership, Manchester United, improved its position in that league by the same number of points. Unfortunately, that will take a little longer.

Even though individuals might be elected by different sectors of the industry, they should represent the entire industry and thereby give the punters and race goers adequate representation. Under the old IHA legislation, I received nominations from racecourse clubs. I appointed one of the nominees but all I got as a result was all kinds of abuse and hassle, so it did not work out satisfactorily.

Mr. Dukes

Life is like that sometimes.

Mr. Walsh

I know. As the Prime Minister of our nearest neighbouring country said not long ago, life is a funny old business, especially political life. Things do not always work out and one does not always get gratitude, perhaps, although one should not even look for it. As Deputies know, sometimes little things are extremely important.

Mr. Dukes

Is it in order to weep, a Cheann Chomhairle? I am feeling very sorry for the Minister. He is tugging at my heart strings. I will be crying in a minute.

Mr. Walsh

I know, I am a bit distraught at this stage.

Mr. Dukes

Why not just accept the amendments?

Mr. Walsh

I will be unable to do that. The Deputy made the case very well in his usual articulate way, as he did on the last occasion when dealing with the main Bill. Nonetheless, I cannot accept them.

Members have been extremely kind to me in relation to this legislation. I did not wish to return to the House on it. I have made a minimal change and I could have been berated a great deal more.

Mr. Dukes

The Minister has just made a bags of it.

Mr. Walsh

I appreciate being let off lightly at this stage, perhaps with just a caution.

Mr. Wright

The Minister picked a good week.

Mr. Wall

It is Christmas.

Mr. Walsh

I do not intend to revisit the matter. Deputies Barrett, Gilmore and Wright made an excellent case in relation to Leopardstown. I am aware that there have been problems in that regard. I will examine the matter and talk to the chairperson not only of Leopardstown but of the HRI about it. I will see if it is possible to have an alternative. There is a racecourse and a golf course and if it is possible to provide the road without disrupting both, it would be sensible. I will return to the Deputies on that matter.

Mr. Dukes

The Minister had better get his skates on because it is well advanced.

Mr. Walsh

Yes. I intend to be at the racecourse for the four day meeting beginning on St. Stephen's Day. There is excellent racing in Leopardstown as usual. I hope the weather does not disrupt it like it did a few years ago.

Mr. Barrett

The bulldozers will if the weather does not.

Mr. Walsh

Deputy Barrett asked about the structure there. The HRI has not yet decided on the criteria for appointing people to local racecourses. It usually tries to get local interests and local directors involved but I will talk to it about the composition and the local representation.

Mr. Barrett

The Minister should set some guidelines.

Mr. Walsh

Yes. I will actively pursue that.

Mr. Dukes

They should be in the Bill.

Mr. Walsh

Deputy Wall, as is his wont, made valuable suggestions, especially in relation to the stable lads and stable girls. They are the mainstay of the industry in Kildare. I was moved to give representation to them on the board and it worked out well. In fact, I called last Sunday to Punchestown and I had a carton of soup there which was lovely. It is the first time that what are called handlers, that is, stable lads and girls, have had the facility to get hot food. It is the same at the new course in Limerick and in a number of others. That has been done and it is a great thing. There are nice showers and changing rooms as well so no more will they have to change in horseboxes. Unfortunately, the restaurant was full of the other members with, as Deputy Dukes described it, their prawn sandwiches and so forth while the poor stable lads and stable girls were left high and dry. I am delighted they are getting a chance for the future.

The NRA is involved with the road construction so I will have to talk to the authority to see if it can redesign the road. I will reflect on the point raised by Deputy Wright about television coverage of horse racing. Given the percentage of the population that goes racing, there is a dearth of coverage on television. RTE could do far more in that regard. It was starkly brought to my attention last year when the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe was won by a horse trained by John Oxx and ridden by Johnny Murtagh. We still had to watch the race on Channel Four. Irish racing is now a global industry in that the participants, horses, trainers and jockeys are from different parts of Europe, particularly Britain and France. It is a shame that there is not even a wrap up programme in the evening if we cannot watch the racing live. I do not know if we have any influence with RTE any more but we might make representations to the organisation to give this important industry a boost.

Mr. Dukes

The Minister will have to look up Ray Burke's notes on how to do these things.

Mr. Walsh

Deputy McGahon made his case, as he has on every possible occasion, about Baldoyle and the Phoenix Park.

Mr. McGahon

Can we have it back?

Mr. Walsh

At one time I regularly went to the Phoenix Park. It was great for evening meetings and the fixtures fitted in well with Dáil sittings. It is a pity it is gone but the future of racing and its development is now a matter for Horse Racing Ireland. It is due to set out a strategic plan for the industry over the next five and ten years. Racecourses, the number of courses and the quality of racing are matters for that body.

It will have to raise more funds from the industry because the taxpayer cannot continue increasing the amount. We have provided for a fixed amount, which is 5% of the amount of off-course betting. This year it amounted to £46 million, £37 million and £9 million on a one to four basis, but I would like to see that topped up to bring us further up the league. There are rights and various other features to be used but like Leopardstown with its golf course and ancillary businesses, the industry will have to work harder at raising funds and not have the unfortunate taxpayer providing all the funding. I am unable to accede to the amendments proposed by Deputy Dukes. I commend the Bill to the House.

Question put and agreed to.

Bill reported without amendment, received for final consideration and passed.