Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegation. Many of the issues raised seem to be legacy issues. To follow to a certain extent Deputy Ó Cuív's concluding remarks on the length of time the board has been in place, from the presentations the peak of capital expenditure was in 2010, which was the same time as the turnover collapsed from €63 million to €33 million. When did the chairman take up his position? How many people have had their board membership renewed since 2010?

It is quite obvious that IGB is in serious financial difficulty. A significant issue which has not been mentioned is the pension deficit, which seems to have been a noose around IGB's neck for quite a while. What specific methods have been put in place to try to address this matter as well as the other issues mentioned? There has been much talk about asset disposal. Anyone in difficulty must think about how to get out of the hole. A decision seems to have been made on asset disposal but debt sustainability is very important. With regard to the pension deficit and getting the finances back up and running, what format has been put in place to deal with debt sustainability?

The committee has been dealing in recent weeks with the new Horse Racing Ireland (amendment) Bill. Media rights are an issue. Is IGB behind the mark in this? Is there potential in media rights? The number of breeders and owners has reduced considerably. What incentives are being put in place to ensure one sees once again a person on the road walking a dog in every town and village in the country, be it morning, evening or night?

It was part and parcel of the community. Maybe that seems to be dwindling in more recent years. What is being put in place to encourage the ordinary Joe Soap - I do not mean that in any disrespectful way - to get back into the bread and butter part of the industry? This chief executive suggested that Bord na gCon seems to be a lightning rod, attracting negative publicity in some regards. This committee has received correspondence from various individuals over the last year or two. Would the witnesses say these individuals are large or small in number? Who do they represent? What has been put in place to try to deal with the issues they have raised?