The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is the competent authority with regard to the maintenance of the Irish Greyhound Stud Book. The ICC has been responsible for the Irish Greyhound Stud Book since 1923 and this was further underpinned by the enactment of the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958.
Coursing is regulated under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, chiefly by the Irish Coursing Club (ICC), subject to the general control and direction of Rásaíocht Con Éireann, Hare coursing is managed and regulated by the Irish Coursing Club.
The ICC has informed my Department that as the traceability project progressed, it became apparent that the entire ICC IT system to administer its stud book and registration system required update. This is a sizeable project requiring considerable investment, with a number of phased components so as to future proof and streamline its systems. Tenders have been sought, with a return date of 1 September 2023. An evaluation of received tenders will follow.
The provision of a traceability system will be incorporated into this comprehensive ICC IT system upgrade.
The ICC do not provide my Department with the statistics referred to in the Deputy’s question.