Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and his officials for this important debate. I will confine my remarks to the greyhound industry. The Minister of State has listened to industry stakeholders, particularly when he was Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

I agree with everything Senator Coffey said. He hit the nail on the head when he said the industry is in turmoil. The Minister of State referred to the 2015 audited accounts which are due to go to Government before being laid before the Oireachtas. Unfortunately, they make for grim reading. The accounts were published on the IGB website briefly before being removed and I had an opportunity to view them. If the same accounts are presented to both Houses, they will highlight that the IGB is totally incompetent when it comes to running the industry. For example, taxpayer funding increased by 25% in 2015 but the legal and professional fees associated with running the IGB increased by 245% in one year. Media and other income was down by 70% to only €100,000. Without taxpayer intervention, the organisation would be insolvent.

Alarm bells need to ring quickly in Agriculture House about this organisation, otherwise a major national scandal is only weeks away. Ordinary punters, owners and breeders are not being listened to by the body with statutory responsibility for administering the sector, which is wrong. They were outside these Houses protesting last week and I met some of them while I spoke to others over the phone last weekend. I appeal to the Minister of State not to allow this organisation to run the industry into the ground. To address its managerial incompetence and lack of transparency and accountability, the answer is to sell the Harold's Cross facility. Protests will continue outside Shelbourne Park at every race night because greyhound owners and breeders are not being listened to. Their only option is to highlight their concerns outside Shelbourne Park. The industry is at an impasse and I appeal to the Minister of State to intervene.

I agree with Senator Coffey that the current board of the IGB is not fit for purpose and needs to be replaced. Stakeholder accountability and transparency need to be applied to the sector. The issue is urgent. The organisation is in receipt of a State subsidy of €285,000 a week this year. From a financial management perspective in the context of the public finances, this organisation does not meet the standards set down following good work by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I say that as someone with a financial background.

The agriculture committee made 13 recommendations dating back to January 2016. If implemented, they would solve some of the problems. I welcome the legislation that will be brought forward and I appreciate the Minister of State's efforts in this regard because he is working hard on it. Unfortunately, by the time the legislation passes through both Houses, it may be too late. An urgent intervention is required. It is not for me to suggest what should happen but the Minister of State needs to intervene. Will he use his good offices in conjunction with his officials to ensure that intervention happens within days rather than weeks because this could rocket out of control if something does not happen quickly?