Results 3,941-3,960 of 28,162 for speaker:Catherine Murphy

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: That speaks for it all. Indeed, I am reminded of issues identified in the opening statement about integrity and all of that. Given this is the regulatory body, and I note this is post-dated, but it certainly does not align with how we expect matters to be conducted. We would not expect a Minister to be ignored and we would expect contracts to be in place, at the very least. I would have...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: I would hope they are because there would be an obligation to do so. How many other people applied for the early retirement or redundancy package?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Did they receive more than the amount set out in the code? Was it only the CEO that received more than the amount, or a grant from another body?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Was this something that was agreed? Is the arrangement between the Turf Club and HRI minuted at board level?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Absolutely.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: I want to ask some further questions. First, I want to come back to the contract or the lack thereof. Mr. Egan would formerly have worked for the Turf Club and then he ended up being the CEO of IHRB. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Nominations for the IHRB come from two sources, namely the Turf Club and the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee, and there are also some independent people on the board.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Mr. Egan was operating on a contract that was from the Turf Club.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: The IHRB is a separate legal entity. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: That means that the contract is not valid. A new legal entity has not provided a-----

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: The very fact that he worked for the Turf Club and then went on to be the CEO of the regulatory body is an issue. Questions were raised previously in relation to the people who nominate members to the IHRB and how independent the board actually is as a consequence of that. For the Turf Club to pay a so-called contribution - not a grant or a loan - towards his exit really undermines the...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Ms Eade is the primary person who engages with the Department. That is where the money comes through. Would she have expected to see a contract of employment, as almost one of the first things that would be negotiated? The CEO is the person who is leading or driving an organisation so would she have expected to see terms and conditions set out and a contract put in place? Was she...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: As has been referred to earlier, note 6 in the accounts refers to "other income". There is a comparison here with some of the things we are trying to figure out in relation to the session we will have in the afternoon, in the sense of things being opaque. Would that not immediately jump out as a contribution from the Turf Club?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: If somebody was taking a set of accounts out, is this entry there to obscure or what is its purpose? One is supposed to disclose things in order that they are transparent, so that when people are going through the accounts they can see what is what, but describing it as other income seems to be a very opaque way of dealing with it.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Could the Comptroller and Auditor comment?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: I want to talk about the scale of this in the context of protecting the industry. Obviously this is something that will come out, probably over a period of time. In terms of what has been disclosed to Ms Eade, is it the kind of disclosure that would be very damaging to the industry or is it contained within the IHRB?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: What is Ms Eade's first assessment of the scale?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: On the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, what role will Ms Eade have, or will it go through the IHRB to respond to what has been disclosed to it?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2021: Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (29 Jun 2023)

Catherine Murphy: Where are we with the 2022 financial statements?