Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 19 September 2019

Public Accounts Committee

Bord na gCon Financial Statement 2017

9:00 am

Mr. Gerard Dollard:

On the business model, the model is changing. I fully accept the drop in attendances but, as an example, we run two early-morning meetings now as part of our new business model. We will never have an attendance of the public at those meetings; it is quite unlikely. They are of financial value to the organisation and to the industry but they are not reflected in attendances. There are some changes in the business model and attendances are not the sole benchmark of the business measurement.

On whether all the tracks we have are viable, if we take the tracks from the point of view of the track performance, the tote and Events & Hospitality Services, EHS, only Cork and Shelbourne Park are viable. All the others are lossmakers. If we add in the income we get from Sports Information Services, SIS, Cork, Shelbourne Park, Tralee and Yougal are viable and Mullingar is making its way into viability. If one takes prize money, which we pay, then no track is viable. That is the short summary.