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12 1958

GREYHOUND INDUSTRY ACT, 1958

PART I.

Preliminary and General.

Short title.

1. —This Act may be cited as the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958.

Interpretation.

2. —(1) In this Act—

authorised coursing ground” means a coursing ground at which authorised coursing meetings are held ;

authorised coursing meeting” means a coursing meeting authorised by the Club ;

authorised officer” means a person appointed in writing by the Board or the Club (as may be appropriate) to be an authorised officer for the purposes of this Act ;

the Board” means Bord na gCon established by this Act ;

the Club” means the Irish Coursing Club ;

course bet” means—

(a) a bet entered into by a licensed bookmaker, during a greyhound race meeting held at a greyhound race track, on a greyhound race forming an item at that meeting, or

(b) a bet entered into by a licensed bookmaker, during an authorised coursing meeting (not being a meeting declared by the Board by regulations to be exempted as respects the levies provided for by this Act), on an event forming an item at that meeting ;

course-betting permit” has the meaning assigned to it in section 29 ;

the establishment day” means the day appointed to be the establishment day for the purposes of this Act by order of the Minister made under section 3 of this Act ;

greyhound race” means a greyhound race (including trial and schooling) in which an object propelled by mechanical means is pursued;

greyhound race track” means a greyhound race track on which greyhound races are held for reward ;

greyhound race track licence” has the meaning specified in section 22 ;

licensed bookmaker” means a person who is for the time being the holder of a bookmaker's licence issued to him under the Betting Act, 1931 (No. 27 of 1931) ;

the Minister” means the Minister for Agriculture ;

precincts” means, in relation to an authorised coursing ground, any place adjacent to that coursing ground to which the public habitually resort for the purpose of watching coursing ;

prescribed” means prescribed by regulations made by the Board under this Act ;

totalisator licence” means a licence granted under the Totalisator Act, 1929 (No. 22 of 1929).

(2) A reference in this Act to a contravention of any provision includes, where appropriate, a reference to contravention of that provision by failing or refusing to comply therewith.

Establishment day.

3. —The Minister may by order appoint a day to be the establishment day for the purposes of this Act.

Performance of functions of the Club.

4. —The functions vested in the Club by or under this Act shall be carried out—

(a) before the day appointed by the Minister under subsection (7) of section 26 of this Act—by the Standing Committee of the Club, and

(b) on and after that day—by the Executive Committee of the Club,

but, in the case of rules made under this Act, the rules shall not come into operation unless and until they are approved of at a general meeting of the Club.

Regulations and rules generally.

5. —(1) In all legal proceedings—

(a) the production of a document purporting to be a copy of any regulation made by the Board under this Act and to be certified to be a true copy by the chairman of the Board or the chief officer of the Board shall be sufficient evidence of the regulation and that any consultation requisite under this Act in relation thereto has been effected and no proof shall be required of the handwriting or official position of the person certifying the document,

(b) the production of a document purporting to be signed by an officer of the Minister and certifying that any specified regulation made by the Board under this Act was made with the consent of the Minister shall be sufficient evidence that the regulation was made with the consent of the Minister and no proof shall be required of the handwriting or official position of the person signing the document.

(2) In all legal proceedings—

(a) the production of a document purporting to be a copy of any rule made by the Club under this Act and to be certified to be a true copy by the president of the Club or the secretary of the Club shall be sufficient evidence of the rule and no proof shall be required of the handwriting or official position of the person certifying the document,

(b) the production of a document purporting to be signed by the president of the Club or the secretary of the Club and certifying that any specified rule made by the Club under this Act came into operation on a specified day shall be sufficient evidence that the rule came into operation on that day and no proof shall be required of the handwriting or official position of the person signing the document,

(c) the production of a document purporting to be signed by the chairman of the Board or the chief officer of the Board and certifying that any specified rule made by the Club under this Act was made with the consent of the Board shall be sufficient evidence that the rule was made with the consent of the Board and no proof shall be required of the handwriting or official position of the person signing the document.

(3) The Board may make regulations in relation to any matter or thing referred to in this Act as prescribed or to be prescribed.

(4) Every regulation made by the Board under this Act shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made, and if a resolution annulling the regulation is passed by either such House within the next twenty-one days on which that House has sat after the regulation is laid before it, the regulation shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.

(5) Every rule made by the Club under section 25 or section 37 of this Act and approved of as provided for by section 4 of this Act shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is so approved of, and if a resolution annulling the rule is passed by either such House within the next twenty-one days on which that House has sat after the rule is laid before it, the rule shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.

(6) Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting or affecting the operation of section 4 of the Documentary Evidence Act, 1925 (No. 24 of 1925).