I call on the Government to urgently enforce the existing ban on sulky racing on public roads in light of the horrific cruelty and the dangers it poses to both the animals and the public. Just this month in Ballyfermot, a pregnant horse named Anne collapsed during an illegal sulky race, suffering severe cuts, blood loss and suspected broken bones. Despite the heroic efforts of My Lovely Horse Rescue and the UCD veterinary hospital, Anne and her unborn foal were euthanised after being tormented to death. Sulky racing endangers road users with high-speed carts on busy roads and it inflicts barbaric suffering on horses kept in unfit urban conditions.

The Government has moved swiftly, and rightly so, to impose a ban on scrambler bikes in public places under Grace's Law following the tragic death of young Grace Lynch. Stricter regulations are there. I call on the Government to adopt the same zero-tolerance approach to sulky racing.

I thank Deputy Nolan for raising the issue of sulky races and making the point in relation to the current laws that exist regarding that. It is important they are enforced. I know the Minister for agriculture is working on animal welfare proposals too. The Deputy is quite right in relation to sulky races in terms of the animal welfare abuses, the abuses of horses, the lack of care for them, and the devastating impact this can have from an animal welfare point of view, as the Deputy has outlined. I pay tribute to organisations such as My Lovely Horse Rescue and others on the work they do. In light of the Deputy raising this I will ask the Minister with responsibility for road safety and the Minister for agriculture to come back to the Deputy. I will also ask the Minister for justice to raise with the Garda issues around enforcement.