Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for that.

We will move on to category C, correspondence from and related to private individuals, and any other correspondence. No. R2243 C, dated 20 November 2023, is from Deputy Imelda Munster, a member of the Public Accounts Committee. She has forwarded correspondence from an individual concerning Greyhound Racing Ireland and the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund. In our report on Horse Racing Ireland, the committee recommended that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine conduct a full review of Exchequer funding to the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund and report to the committee by May 2023 with a view to examining four areas. The first is the social and economic impact of the fund, including its efficacy in supporting the development of both sectors, the broadest cohort of those involved in both sectors, and rural communities. The second concerns whether the use of the fund to subsidise prize funds represents the best value for money. In this regard, members will recall the question of such a large amount of funding going towards prize money in the horse racing sector. The third area is the efficacy of the fund in ensuring the highest levels of animal welfare standards, and the fourth is the appropriateness of pro ratadistribution as a funding mechanism for both the horse racing and greyhound racing sectors.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has partially responded to the recommendation. It committed to sending information in September but it has not been received. The Department has stated the appropriateness of pro ratadistribution as a funding mechanism for both the horse racing and greyhound racing sectors is a matter of policy. I propose that we request an update on the recommendation and inform the correspondent accordingly. Is that agreed? Agreed.

That concludes our consideration of correspondence. I will now move on to the work programme. Members have been given a draft work programme discussion document, which is displayed on their screens. Next week, on 7 December, we will meet officials from the Department of Health to examine the 2022 appropriation account for Vote 38 and the following specific areas of interest: establishment of the new regional health areas; budget controls and governance; budget outcomes; agency costs; and service level agreements with section 38 and section 39 organisations. On 14 December, we will meet officials from the Housing Agency and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on Chapter 11, Utilisation of the Land Aggregation Scheme Sites, the Housing Agency's 2022 financial statements, and programme A of Vote 34 – Housing.

On 18 January 2024, we will meet with the Department of Social Protection to examine the 2022 appropriation account for Vote 37, the Social Insurance Fund, the relevant chapters from the C and AG's annual report and the misclassification of workers. That will be interesting. I heard this morning that the insurance fund was cleared out during the Covid period. There was over €3 billion-----