Results 5,021-5,040 of 10,862 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: One which is predominantly funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: My question is whether there was a reason. Is it not true that capital grants were also provided by the Department?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: Considering all that, the substantive amount of money invested in the project and the fact that the racecourse is built on public land, why is it that there is no public accountability mechanism for the racecourse?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: Does Mr. Blake not accept that we are now in a convoluted situation? HRI is providing convertible loans that may in turn be converted into shares, which, according to the accounts we have seen, is likely to be the case. There is an exemption in relation to freedom of information requests because of the structure that has been put in place. Since that time, has either the Department of...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: Mr. Blake might remind us of how much was allocated to the horse and greyhound fund for this year.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: That is just the HRI element of it. How did the Department arrive at that figure as an appropriate allocation?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: This is a unique scenario in that two separate organisations have their financial allocations tied together because the horse and greyhound fund is approved on the back of a proposal by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and his Department and is then divided 80:20 on an annual basis. Could the Comptroller and Auditor General tell me whether there is any other situation where...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: Mr. Blake just spoke about how organisations make their financial pitch. On any given year, HRI might make a fantastic pitch that would warrant additional funding while in other year, Bord na gCon might do the same but either organisation will rise or fall on the back of what has happened somewhere else. It does not appear to be a very appropriate way of expending public money.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: But statute can be changed.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: It is further complicated by the fact that HRI gets an allocation and it is then a matter for HRI to make another allocation to the IHRB, which is a separate board. The body that is essentially being regulated is responsible for funding its regulator. Does Ms Eade see any difficulty in that scenario?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: I am very short on time. Is Ms Eade saying that essentially what the IHRB gets is a proportion of HRI's budget?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: Do we see a difficulty here? The regulatory body is dependent on the budget assigned to HRI on the strength of its business case, which in turn is linked to a separate organisation. Even if we look at the IHRB, which in itself is an amalgamated structure of the steeplechase and the Turf Club, which have their own issues, do the witnesses from the Department not see that there is a case for...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: Is it independent when it relies on the organisation it essentially regulates for its funding?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: Generally it is from the line Department.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: But there is a lot of entanglement. If we look at the previous debate we had on the Curragh race course, your previous boss stood down and received a financial package the value of which we do not know. Why-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: He did not receive a package?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: Apologies to the Chair for that. He stood down and took on the role in the Curragh so HRI is negotiating with him according to Ms Eade's previous replies regarding the Curragh.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: HRI is in engagement with The Curragh Racecourse. That is what Ms Eade said regarding its financial prospects. Is that not true?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Horse Racing Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (22 Sep 2022)

Matt Carthy: Who does HRI have the discussions with?