Why is horse and greyhound racing getting tens of millions of euros in government funding every year, while nurses and midwives are refused pay rises. That's the question Dublin Central TD Maureen O'Sullivan put to the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed. Read on for his response...
QUESTION (5th February 2019)
Maureen O'Sullivan TD (Dubin Central): To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine his views on subsidies to industries which promote gambling and its consequences and if he will make a statement on the matter. Details Supplied: €84 million of taxpayers' money to horse and greyhound racing in 2019 (industries that claim to be successful and therefore should be able to fund themselves). Value for money when the Taoiseach states that there is insufficient funding for pay increases for valued public sector workers such as nurses and midwives?
REPLY
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed (Cork North West): Under Section 12 of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001 (No.20 of 2001), the horse and greyhound racing industries receive financial support from the State through the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund. In the period 2001 to 2018 a total of €1.2 billion has been paid from the Fund in accordance with the provisions of the Act. Monies are paid out of the fund in the ratio of 80% to Horse Racing Ireland and 20% to Bord na gCon [Irish Greyhound Board] as specified in Section 12 (6) of the Act. State funding provided through the fund is pivotal to the survival of the horse and greyhound racing industries. €84 million has been provided under the Fund for 2019.
Horse Racing Industry
The 2017 Deloitte Report into the Economic Impact of Irish Breeding and Racing, commissioned by HRI, indicates that the total direct and stimulated expenditure of the Irish breeding and racing industry is estimated at €1.84 billion in 2016. In addition, it is estimated that there are 15,200 jobs at the core of the racing and breeding industry or in directly related industries. These jobs are based in rural areas and underpin the health of the rural economy.
Greyhound Racing Industry
A report by Economist Jim Power in November 2017 calculates there are 5,058 full and part-time jobs within the sector, with in excess of 7,000 greyhound owners deriving economic benefit from the industry. The national industry contributes around €300 million to the Irish economy. The industry also has an important social impact on thousands of people, particularly in rural areas.
ICABS NOTE: Irish horse racing suffered major drops in betting as well as falls in attendance and race entries, according to Horse Racing Ireland's "Six-Month Statistics 2018" which shows that attendance at race meetings fell by 2.3% in the first half of 2018 (519,425 to 507,337), with attendance down by a massive 30 per cent in March. Average attendance at races was also down. Betting on horse racing has also seen a huge drop. http://www.banbloodsports.com/ln180725.htm Greyhound racing is also experiencing massive falls in track attendance and sponsorship.
ACTION ALERT
The government's squandering of scarce public money on these gambling industries is particularly deplorable at a time when our country's health and housing is in crisis and so many worthy causes are crying out for funds. Please contact Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, and your local TDs to urge them to stop funding horse and greyhound racing. Visit the Oireachtas website for names of TDs and their email addresses http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=32&disp=mem
Write to your TDs at: Dail Eireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Tel: +353 (0)1-618 3000 or 1890 337 889.
Please also arrange a meeting with your TDs at their local clinics.
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar
Department of the Taoiseach,
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie
Tweet to: @campaignforLeo
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo/
Paschal Donohoe TD
Minister for Finance
Email: paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie, minister@per.gov.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1 6045810
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaschalDonohoe/
Tweet to @Paschald
Find out if your TD voted for or against the latest €84 million in funding to horse and greyhound racing.
VOTED IN FAVOUR OF FUNDING (92)
Bobby Aylward, Maria Bailey, Seán Barrett, John Brassil, Pat Breen, Colm Brophy, James Browne, Richard Bruton, Peter Burke, Mary Butler, Catherine Byrne, Dara Calleary, Seán Canney, Ciarán Cannon, Pat Casey, Shane Cassells, Lisa Chambers, Michael Collins, Niall Collins, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Simon Coveney, Barry Cowen, Michael Creed, John Curran, Michael D'Arcy, Jim Daly, Regina Doherty, Paschal Donohoe, Timmy Dooley, Bernard Durkan, Damien English, Alan Farrell, Frances Fitzgerald, Peter Fitzpatrick, Seán Fleming, Noel Grealish, Brendan Griffin, Michael Harty, Seán Haughey, Danny Healy-Rae, Michael Healy-Rae, Séamus Healy, Brendan Howlin, Paul Kehoe, Billy Kelleher, Alan Kelly, Seán Kyne, John Lahart, Michael Lowry, Marc MacSharry, Josepha Madigan, Micheál Martin, Helen McEntee, Finian McGrath, Mattie McGrath, Michael McGrath, John McGuinness, Joe McHugh, Tony McLoughlin, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, Kevin Moran, Aindrias Moynihan, Michael Moynihan, Margaret Murphy O'Mahony, Eoghan Murphy, Eugene Murphy, Hildegarde Naughton, Tom Neville, Carol Nolan, Michael Noonan, Darragh O'Brien, Jim O'Callaghan, Willie O'Dea, Patrick O'Donovan, Fergus O'Dowd, Kevin O'Keeffe, Fiona O'Loughlin, Frank O'Rourke, Jan O'Sullivan, Éamon Ó Cuív, Willie Penrose, Thomas Pringle, Michael Ring, Shane Ross, Brendan Ryan, Eamon Scanlon, Seán Sherlock, Brendan Smith, Niamh Smyth, David Stanton, Robert Troy, Katherine Zappone.
VOTED AGAINST FUNDING (26)
Mick Barry, Richard Boyd Barrett, John Brady, Tommy Broughan, Pat Buckley, Joan Collins, Ruth Coppinger, Seán Crowe, Dessie Ellis, Martin Ferris, Kathleen Funchion, Gino Kenny, Martin Kenny, Denise Mitchell, Imelda Munster, Catherine Murphy, Paul Murphy, Jonathan O'Brien, Louise O'Reilly, Eoin Ó Broin, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Eamon Ryan, Róisín Shortall, Bríd Smith, Brian Stanley.