I want to discuss the prestigious, internationally recognised multi-billion euro horse racing industry, which is considered to be one of the jewels in Ireland's crown and where, behind the glistening exterior, lurks a world of vicious exploitation, wholesale and deliberate illegality, ruthless vested interests and criminal behaviour, without any proper oversight or regulation.

Tens of millions of euro of citizens' money continues to be pumped into this industry every year. Ironically, on the very day that the Government was facilitating the sanction of the last tranche of cash in the week before Christmas and questions were being asked in this House about the flagrant breaches of working conditions in the industry, a collective agreement was announced between the Irish Stable Staff Association and the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association, to reassure us all that the problems had been solved and there was nothing further to see. Of course, that was a sham, a conjuring trick. The Irish Stable Staff Association, despite being represented on the board of Horse Racing Ireland, is not a trade union or a negotiating body. It has no membership or employees. It does not produce annual reports and one cannot join the association through its website.

In regard to the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association, we are told that trainers must be registered with the Turf Club and as such they could not be charging any less favourable rates. That is not true. The Turf Club has no oversight of wages and conditions in the industry. When it wrote to the trainers last year seeking P60s and returns for staff who were paid more than €25,000 in order to distribute a pension scheme, it received a list of only 300 names. How can it be that there are only 300 workers earning more than €25,000 in a multi-billion euro industry with thousands of workers? The Turf Club wrote again to the trainers, this time lowering the horizon to €12,500, in respect of which it received a list of 800 names. Where are all those 800 staff? They are buried in the bowels of the black economy - cash-in-hand, on the dole, racing allowances agreed with Revenue as tax-free expenditure being calculated as part of the minimum wage, no contracts, no tea breaks, no time sheets - in an industry that is so brazen its collective agreement advertises illegality.

There is something very rotten at the heart of Irish horse racing which we have not fully figured out. However, we are learning more every day. Is the Taoiseach willing to help? Is he willing to launch a co-ordinated multi-agency swoop on the industry, involving officials from NERA, Revenue, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Health and Safety Authority of Ireland, because that is what is necessary?

The Deputy has raised a number of issues, the detail of which I do not have. In response to her question, there are rules, regulations and laws in place in this country in terms of employers, employees, minimum wages and so on. It is necessary that these measures operate as they should. I would be happy to follow-up on the issues validly raised by the Deputy. I am not too sure that it is necessary to have, as the Deputy suggested, a swoop. There is an issue to be addressed if, as she suggested, there is a black economy in this area such that there are people working in the industry at below minimum wage rates. If the Deputy forwards the information she has to me, I will be happy to follow through on it in so far as I can.

The Taoiseach is correct that I have raised detailed points to which I would not expect him to be able to respond today but I do expect him to follow up on this matter. This is a task beyond the Taoiseach. The wholesale illegality is an open secret in the industry. It will not be sorted by any one individual or agency. It requires a multi-task force to intervene to ensure that our laws are being upheld because they are not. I would suggest that what might be advisable is a confidential hotline to allow good trainers in the industry, who want to adhere to the law and to pay the correct rates but are being viciously under-cut by the black market, to speak up. I am speaking in this regard of the staff who are virtually indentured slaves and small owners and trainers who are often the back-bone of employment in rural areas and want to play a role. They will provide the information. Sadly, the response of this Government has been to appoint to Horse Racing Ireland, the very people connected with Coolmore and the big players in the industry - the vested interests at the top. We will not get the answers from those people. What we need is outside independent scrutiny.

The Irish horse racing industry is of exceptional importance to the economy and to the reputation of Ireland internationally. It has proven itself over many years. The Deputy has raised a particular issue. I am happy to receive the information which the Deputy has and to ask the agencies and Ministers involved to follow up on it. There is already in place a facility through which people can make protected disclosures or provide information confidentially.