John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the reply issued to the North-East Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association by the private secretary to the Secretary General, it is stated that the issues raised were financial and IR operational matters and are the responsibility of Bord na gCon.

The chief financial officer is in place for some time past and, prior to the appointment of the incumbent, had engaged the service of a professional accountant. I understand the latter was dealing with the question of the four-year gap but also with other issues.

The point I am making here is that the issues that were raised, both in this correspondence and prior to that in the media, would have been common knowledge to everybody before 2010 and after 2010, when Mr. Ryan took over. However, given the amount of money involved, the Department simply said it was an operational matter for Bord na gCon. In fact, it is not an operational matter; in the long run, it is a matter of accountability and transparency. The Comptroller and Auditor General audits the accounts and we investigate them, and it is my view that the Department should be having much greater contact with the board to ensure taxpayers' money is being spent properly and to investigate fully any of the issues that have been raised publicly by the two bodies in question. Mr. Meaney said the latter represent a minority group, but there is a need to protect the name of Bord na gCon if it is the case that the delegates are right and the two bodies referred to are wrong. My concern is that there does not seem to be any reaction from the Department on this matter.