Ms Cliodhna Guy:

On behalf of the IHRB, I thank the Chair and members of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine for their invitation to appear before it. I am the interim chief executive of the IHRB and the head of licensing and legal and compliance. I am joined by my colleague, Dr. Lynn Hillyer, the head of anti-doping and chief veterinary officer for the IHRB, and Mr. Martin O’Donnell, chairman of the IHRB board of directors.

The IHRB was delighted to accept the committee’s invitation to attend today and to take up the opportunity to discuss the committee’s report and highlight the steps we are taking to respond to its recommendations. At the outset, I acknowledge the interest of the members of the committee in the work we do to regulate horse racing in Ireland. I welcome the committee’s willingness to include this issue in its work programme last year and the publication of its comprehensive report last November. Following the publication of the committee’s report, we reviewed the recommendations made by the committee. We continue to endeavour to build these into our actions.

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board CLG is a company set up by the Turf Club and Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee to carry out the functions assigned to the racing regulatory body under the Horse Racing Ireland Act 2016. The IHRB is responsible for regulating the integrity of Irish racing including equine doping control. It carries out its functions through a team of highly trained professional racing officials and administrative staff in addition to dedicated and experienced voluntary race day stewards and committee members. The IHRB operates under a service level agreement with Horse Racing Ireland with regard to the provision of integrity services. The Horse Racing Ireland Act 2016 provides that HRI is responsible for guaranteeing funding to the IHRB to carry out its functions through an integrity services budget, which is agreed annually.

The IHRB recently announced the appointment of Darragh O’Loughlin as incoming CEO. His appointment will effect from 29 June next. Mr. O'Loughlin has an exceptional combination of regulatory expertise and long experience in sectoral development and advocacy from his roles as secretary general of the Irish Pharmacy Union and as a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, the pharmacy regulator. I am sure that members of the committee will have the opportunity to meet with Mr. O'Loughlin following his appointment.

In response to the committee report’s recommendation that an independent review be carried out by an international expert to ensure that Ireland’s procedures match best international practice, in January 2022, the IHRB requested that Dr. Craig Suann undertake a review of the organisation’s equine anti-doping programme. In terms of achieving the necessary level of independence and the appropriate level of expertise and experience, Dr. Suann was, in our opinion, ideal. He is an Australia-based, globally recognised expert. He is the former chief veterinary officer for New South Wales and his collaborative work with the Australian Racing Forensic Laboratory has been instrumental in ensuring the first-time detection of several prohibited substances. Dr. Suann undertook a comprehensive and detailed review of the IHRB’s equine anti-doping programme. His report concluded that he was satisfied that it "at least match international best practice in most respects and has made significant advances in recent years." Dr. Suann made a number of recommendations "with the intention of enhancing the robustness of the programme’s processes and outcomes". We refer the members of the committee to Dr. Suann’s report.

The IHRB’s equine anti-doping programme, led by Dr. Hillyer, has developed into a sophisticated and extensive risk-based and intelligence-led strategy in which it is not just the numbers of samples which matter, but from what horse they are taken and where and when they are taken. In recent years, the IHRB has undertaken a range of initiatives designed to make significant progress in modernising our systems. The IHRB has increased testing capabilities and is the first racing authority to routinely take hair samples at race meetings as well as in out-of-competition testing. Similarly, the appointment of IHRB staff as authorised officers has greatly enhanced the investigation capabilities of the organisation. This is considered to be a world-leading and groundbreaking initiative. It effectively means we now have access to any thoroughbred, anywhere, at any time.

Dr. Suann’s report, undertaken as a direct response by the IHRB to the committee’s recommendation, demonstrates that our equine anti-doping programme is fit for purpose and operates to the best international standards. The IHRB is currently reviewing the recommendations made by Dr. Suann to see where our programme can be strengthened.

The installation of CCTV cameras at Irish racecourses is a priority for the IHRB and the prominence of this issue in the report is evidence of its importance to the committee. The IHRB has sought to progress this project to the installation phase as quickly as possible and had hoped to have the installation completed prior to the commencement of the 2022 season. The project has been delayed as a result of the complexity of the procurement process and legal correspondence received in relation to that process which extended the standstill period to 28 January 2022. The extension of the standstill period postponed the conclusion of the procurement phase and, as a result, delayed the commencement of the installation phase. We regret that the original timeline for the project has had to be adjusted but this has been unavoidable under the circumstances. The project is now progressing to the installation phase with the framework agreement signed on 29 March. Site surveys have also been completed by Clardex Systems and a project manager is now in place to conduct the oversight of the project directly. A timeline for the installation work is being agreed with each individual racecourse, taking into consideration the race day schedules that exist. The project is planned to be completed by autumn this year. As the installation phase commences, we will compete the committee updated as to the progress being made.

The IHRB recognises the importance of having a board which reflects the industry and wider Irish society while considering the role of the IHRB as the regulator of the sport. We understand the importance this was given by the committee in its reports and want to assure the committee that we are committed to achieving the objective of 40% gender balance at board level, in line with Government guidelines, and recognise the benefit independent members with relevant skillsets can bring to the organisation. Since the committee’s report, we have been working on the process to allow for the appointment of two independent directors to the board. These positions have now been advertised and the recruitment process is under way.

The IHRB is the regulatory body for all horse racing on the island of Ireland. As an organisation, we are very proud of our historic roots stretching back more than 200 years and of the level of voluntary support we get from people and communities across the island. Historically, the senior stewards and directors of the IHRB are nominated from the cohort of volunteers who dedicate significant time to the sport and have experience as stewards at race day and point-to-points. We want to continue to retain that support at local level and benefit from the vast experience that our volunteers provide but to do this in a way that complies with the highest standards of governance underpinned by legislation.

The Horse Racing Ireland Act 2016 sets out the IHRB’s functions, provides for the funding mechanism under which the costs of integrity services are guaranteed by HRI and requires that the annual financial statements of the IHRB be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General, submitted to the Minister and laid before the Oireachtas. The IHRB also complies with the code of practice for governance of State bodies.

Following a process of public procurement in 2018, LGC Laboratories was selected to provide laboratory services and sample analysis for the IHRB. Working with LGC, the organisation has been able to reduce the cost per unit of samples and increase the number of samples that can be taken. From 1 January 2022 to the end of April 2022, a total of 2,009 samples have been taken, of which 66% were taken on the racecourse and at point-to-points and 34% were taken as part of the out-of-competition programme. In the same period in 2021, 968 samples were taken, of which 930 were taken on the racecourse and 38 were out-of-competition testing. Of the 2,009 samples taken so far in 2022, four have returned an adverse analytical finding, which is 0.2%. There have been 40 disciplinary hearings held by the IHRB so far this year, nine of which related to adverse analytical findings.

In carrying out its anti-doping testing programme, the IHRB applies a risk analysis and intelligence-based strategy to its selection of premises and horses for testing. The focus is to obtain the right sample from the right horse at the right time. The appointment of IHRB officials as authorised officers under the Animal Remedies Act enables the IHRB to access thoroughbreds at any time at any venue, even when they are not on licensed premises. Between January and June 2021, 18 premises were inspected by the IHRB’s authorised officers. This number rose to 141 by the end of the year, after the organisation was able to reactivate inspections following Covid-19 restrictions. The IHRB has had a much stronger start to 2022, with 87 premises already inspected so far this year, seven of which were unlicensed.

The IHRB understands the need for confidentiality in such cases to guarantee success. The inspections are unannounced, with a specific process in operation to ensure that only those who need to know where the team is going know. This is restricted to the head of anti-doping in the first instance, with the lead investigating officer being informed the evening before and the rest of the team informed only at rendezvous on the morning of the inspection.

The IHRB has a top-class equine anti-doping team, headed up by Dr. Hillyer, which meets international best practice, having made significant advances in recent years, as highlighted by Dr. Suann’s report. This team works alongside and is supported by colleagues who are highly skilled and experienced in their field, and passionate about their roles in horse racing. The organisation will continue to work to implement the recommendations of Dr. Suann’s review of the equine anti-doping programme and this committee’s report on horse racing in Ireland.

I again thank the Chair and members of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine for giving us the opportunity to address them regarding the progress we have made in implementing the recommendations made by this committee. The IHRB looks forward to working with this committee in the future and will endeavour to keep the committee and its members updated of the progress we make as we continue to strengthen our anti-doping programme. We would be pleased to engage with any questions or issues that members may have.