Results 1,801-1,820 of 7,648 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: That reference was proper. In conclusion, the Government has promised legislation on this issue and Senator Wall has welcomed that. He is right to do so but we need to be careful as to how the vested interests might act in the interim. The figure from 2019 is that some €90 million is being raised in gambling advertising revenue which is double what came in the year before. As we...

Seanad: Companies (Rescue Process for Small and Micro Companies) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: There would be no guillotining of proceedings then.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Let us hope so. Can the Cathaoirleach hear me?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: That is great. I thank Mr. Halford and Mr. Grassick for coming before the committee. Mr. Halford said that he had never received any report of doping in Irish racing. Does he mean that he has never heard anything anecdotally or otherwise, or does he mean that he has never had a case proven to him? What exactly does Mr. Halford mean by that statement? It seems to be at strong variance...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: It is one thing for the cases to be publicised, but it is another thing for Mr. Grassick to say that he has received no report of doping. Am I right in thinking that the 250 kg of Nitrotain, which I believe is the well publicised case to which Mr. Grassick refers, would amount to about 60,000 doses?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Was it not suggested that this might be about 20% of the overall figure, or that people had reason to think that at the time?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Would it concern Mr. Grassick that nobody seems to know where that went? It hardly went down a bog hole.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I get that, but given what we already know about such substances being in the State in such large quantities, is Mr. Grassick saying that he believes there is no problem of doping in Irish racing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Is he saying that he does not know one way or the other?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Mr. Grassick spoke about the importance of good reputation. I wonder does the desire for a good reputation for the industry, which we all want it to have, and perhaps the fear that this is also going on in other jurisdictions, could this cause people to want to look the other way unless it is absolutely staring them in the face?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: How does Mr. Grassick know that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Mr. Grassick has said that never has the anti-doping system seen such frequent and thorough testing. In Mr. Grassick's view, when did this start being so frequent and thorough?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Well exactly. This is what this committee put to the IHRB when it was before the committee recently. Mr. Grassick expressed his disappointment at the allegations being made, and I have asked the question of more than just him. Is it possible that more high-profile people with a very good reputation in the sport, and who are making these startling claims, have alerted the IHRB to the fact...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Has Mr. Grassick ever done any survey of the member trainers to see what are the views of the trainers' association on the question of whether doping issues are affecting the outcomes of races in Irish racing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Would he consider doing that? It might give the association a strong instinct around the issue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: What does Mr. Grassick think of the fact that not one of the directors of the IHRB is appointed by the State? This is a closed-shop organisation and a self-selecting club that is appointing directors of a regulatory organisation that is responsible for something as sensitive as anti-doping. It is getting almost €10 million of taxpayer's money. In fact, the bulk of its funding comes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I am talking about the IHRB, which has no outsiders or taxpayers' representatives on it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I am asking Mr. Grassick if he has a view, as a stakeholder in the industry, as to whether there is something that smells about that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Does Mr. Halford share Mr. Grassick's view that there is nothing to see here and move on? It is surely quite irregular that you would have such a structure whereby there is no taxpayer representative, no independent chair and the organisation gets €10 million from the taxpayer but is not accountable to the taxpayer for how that money is spent.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Does Mr. Halford have any opinion on the possible motivation of those who have made such startling claims as have been made, particularly in view of the fact that the people who have been making those claims have reputations which could only be described as unbesmirched?