Ms Geraldine Larkin:

There is not a formal service level agreement in the context that I would understand one. However, before any moneys are advanced to the Irish Greyhound Board, there is an annual submission to the Department as to what we intend to use those funds for and how we used and disbursed the previous year's funds.

In addition to that, the Department has sought updates from us on how we were to manage the original strategy statement of the Irish Greyhound Board, which was then updated and effectively replaced by the Indecon report last year. In advance of getting any moneys, those documents had to be provided to the Department. The Department then requires the greyhound board to submit six-monthly accounts together with six-monthly reports as to our progress. Those reports must be signed off by the chairman of the board. On top of that, the Department meets us twice a year to review on a one-to-one or face-to-face basis the commitments made at the start of the year in advance of the moneys being forwarded to us and, obviously, any ongoing issues throughout the year, together with how we are achieving budget targets, as we would have submitted to the Department.

As the chairman, Mr. Meaney, mentioned to the Deputy, in addition to that, the Government arrangements extend such that we are also required to report on an interim basis any unscheduled matters that arise during the course of the year if they are material, either to the financial business or to our regulatory business. That is what is there in place of a formal service level agreement.