Results 4,181-4,200 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: There has been very little change during that five-year period.

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: I move on to the issue of legal costs and settlements. In 2021, the total amount incurred due to legal costs was in the order of €374,000, an increase of more than €174,000 since 2020. As that was nearly a 100% increase, is there an explanation as to why there was such a substantial increase in legal costs?

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: Was that just for one case?

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: As to legal costs since the end of 2021, are there issues arising now that will incur legal costs, and has adequate provision been made for those?

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: Are there are legal proceedings outstanding?

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: We have the legal cost for 2020 and 2021. What legal costs were there in the three years prior to that?

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: Would it have been less?

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: Were there issues during that three-year period?

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: I will move on to the issue of the number of full-time employees that are currently employed by the board. What is the total number of full-time employees now?

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: What is the number of part-time employees?

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: Mr. Tuohey does not see any major change in that over the next 12 months to two years.

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: With regard to long-term planning over the next five years, where does Mr. Tuohey now see the whole industry going as regards value for what is given by the Department, given that the Department has increased funding over the last number of years? Rásaíocht Con Éireann obviously has a five-year plan. How does Mr. Tuohey see that giving a return for the investment that has...

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: With regard to the five-year plan, is there any particular aspect in which Mr. Nyhan feels further improvement can be made as regards return for the Exchequer, in the sense that the Exchequer is investing quite a bit of money? If we take prize money, for instance, 75% of the prize money in real terms is coming from the Exchequer.

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: Are there challenges in the sense that the people involved in the industry have an older age profile? The number of new young people coming into it is extremely small. When Mr. Nyhan looks at that five-year plan, does he believe that can change?

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: The number of people involved, though, has gone down over the last number of years.

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: The number of people who are involved in training has gone down substantially.

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: The Committee of Public Accounts is about value for money. As I said, a large proportion of the prize money in races is coming from the Exchequer in real terms. Does Mr. Nyhan believe looking forward that we can reduce the amount of money from the Exchequer going towards the provision of prize money? I understand that in order to keep the industry going, there has to be prize money. Does...

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: When is Mr. Nyhan talking about having that five-year plan completed?

Public Accounts Committee: Greyhound Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2021 (10 Nov 2022)

Colm Burke: Would it be signed off by March?