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

Does any member wish to comment on or ask questions about the accounts and financial statements? No. Can we agree to note the listing of accounts and financial statements? Agreed. As usual, they will be published as part of our minutes.

Moving to correspondence, as previously agreed, items that were not flagged for discussion for this meeting will be dealt with in accordance with the proposed actions that have been circulated and decisions taken by the committee in relation to correspondence are recorded in the minutes of the committee’s meetings and published on the committee’s webpage. Four items have been flagged for discussion under correspondence from Accounting Officers and Ministers and follow-up to Committee of Public Accounts meetings.

No. R2595, from Ms Suzanne Eade, chief executive officer of Horse Racing Ireland, HRI, and dated 9 May 2024, provides correspondence to the committee about the Curragh Racecourse. It is proposed to note and not publish this item as the figures provided relate to 2023 and are confidential. Is that agreed? Agreed. I flagged this correspondence because there is information in it. Members may recall that a convertible loan of €9 million was given by HRI to the Curragh Racecourse for redevelopment. There has been a loss. It is indicated in the correspondence that the loss was €1.4 million for the period ending December 2022. From what I see in front of me - I will not give the figures - it looks like it will not return to profitability at that point. It is one we will have to keep a watch on for future public sector entities, PSEs, because there is substantial investment of public money in the Curragh racetrack. If any members wish to comment, they should feel free to do so.