Greyhound industry must provide business plan each year to get State funding

Neasa Hourigan said it is not acceptable that the greyhound industry receives annual funding by "default" each year.

The greyhound industry will be forced to provide a business plan every year in order to receive State funding under a Bill published by a Green Party TD.

Neasa Hourigan has published a Bill that would also end the current model which allocates public funds to horse racing and the greyhound industry on an 80/20 basis.

Ms Hourigan said it is not acceptable that the greyhound industry receives annual funding by "default" each year. She said the bill is not about animal welfare issues and instead aims to bring proper financial oversight and planning.

"Firstly the bill removes the 20/80 lock and so therefore the percentage given would have to be decided every year.

"Secondly it would require that Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI) have to put a business case in front of the minister in every Budget session, which would then be scrutinised. So they would go into the minister with a business plan, that businesses plan has to be scrutinised and that is the basis for State funding."

She suggested that the bill could potentially see the greyhound industry receive more money than it currently is allocated if it can argue that it requires additional support.

"I am absolutely not going at this from an animal welfare point of view, this has got to do with best practice and good budgetary practice."

Unallocated spending

The Bill will also see any unallocated spending retained by the minister who would have the power to roll it over to the following year. It comes after GRI came before the Public Accounts Committee to face questioning over how the industry is run.

Ms Hourigan said at the meeting that a recent report commissioned by the industry seems to imply that this is a "massive loss-making exercise for people". 

She said: "Based on the report, there is double counting of numbers in terms of pups, the dog pool, and exports. It does not add up. It seems this industry is not about racing at all but about breeding, as some 85% of dogs in the UK are from Ireland. Irish greyhound racing is a peripheral industry to the breeding industry. 

"It goes directly to the United Kingdom and is propping up the gambling industry there, which is a £2.7 billion industry. I do not know if they need €19 million of Irish taxpayers' money to prop up their gambling."

A 'unique situation'

Questioning Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI) chair Frank Nyhan on the 80/20 split in funding allocation each year, Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy described the funding arrangement as a "unique situation".

"I asked the Comptroller and Auditor General whether there is anything even remotely similar anywhere else in the public finances, but he could not think of any. Why has the board accepted this position and not sought to have it changed?"

He added: "Every year, Greyhound Racing Ireland gets 20% of that fund regardless of what plans, proposals or ambitions it has for reform, expansion or reorganisation. Greyhound Racing Ireland's funding depends on what another organisation is getting. I do not know how Mr. Nyhan as the chair or how the board have not been kicking up holy hell about this."
Mr Nyhan told the committee that this is a statutory split, adding: "We accept the percentage that we are getting and are grateful for the State's support."