Ms Geraldine Larkin:

I thank the Chairman and members for inviting Bord na gCon to participate in the committee's consideration of the draft heads of the Horse Racing Ireland (amendment) Bill 2014. I took up the position of chief executive of Bord na gCon just this summer and I welcome the opportunity to meet the committee for the first time.

This committee, perhaps more than most, is aware of the geographically dispersed significance of the greyhound industry, which currently employs several thousand people. Some of the specific provisions referenced in the draft scheme of the Horse Racing Ireland (amendment) Bill, which is the focus of today’s meeting, have a particular resonance at this time for the Irish Greyhound Board. The challenges facing the board and the greyhound industry have been very well documented, most recently, as the Chairman mentioned, in the Indecon report. The board believes that the report can make a very significant contribution to the re-energising and restructuring of the greyhound industry in order to ensure its long-term sustainability. The report will be of assistance in developing an organisational culture that will deliver excellence across finance, governance and racing integrity and contribute to the improvement of animal welfare.

Bord na gCon is charged with the improvement and development of the greyhound industry and is determined to do this. As chief executive, I am aware that a radical new direction is required if the industry is to have a viable future. This involves everything that impacts on both our business and our manner of doing business. There are some very serious challenges ahead for Bord na gCon and these would not want to be underestimated. Already, the board has taken the difficult step - from 1 September last - of reversing the decision taken in 2012 to increase prize money. There are other difficult decisions to be made and some of these will not be easy for various interests within the industry whose priorities have never been easily reconcilable. My ultimate objective at this time is to put our operations on a firm financial footing in order to ensure the long term viability of the industry.

Bord na gCon operates in a very crowded entertainment space and none of us can be complacent with regard to how rapidly that space is changing and how challenging is that change for long-established recreational and sporting activities such as ours. That said, we have an excellent infrastructure and a world-renowned racing product. The board is focused on the changing consumption patterns of our customers and those who wager on our racing. That is why there will be such an emphasis on online streaming into the future, particularly because this can redefine the reach and commercial possibilities for Irish greyhound racing both internationally and nationally.