Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can make sure that everyone gets a response on this, certainly with regard to all 17 recommendations in the report, because I was chair of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine at the time. Each and every one of these has a response and a reason if they are not agreed or if they are agreed. A graduated penalty points system has been agreed and is now fully in place.

I will now move to greyhounds, and thank the contributors. I do not disagree with a lot of what has been said. This is a legacy issue. People call for new governance and the dissolution of the board, but it is worth making the point that there is only one board member predating that period. I have refrained from appointing anybody for two reasons, first their term has not expired and second, I am only in this office since May. I have been trying to get this legislation agreed and we finally have it; it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the work that has been done in trying to draft it, to try to tailor it to suit the needs of the greyhound sector. I want to reassure everybody that I am committed to it. I found it a learning curve when I got the job and I thought that I knew a considerable amount because I had gone to hearings but when I got into it I realised how complex the various different sectors are.

I insisted on meeting members of the Dublin Greyhound Breeders Association, and indeed the wider federation, over two consecutive days, in order to hear from them. I really admire these people. Everybody, including the members of the board, would rather not be faced with the conflict that is selling Harold's Cross and would prefer to come up with an alternative option. I take on board everything that has been said about the manner and method by which this has been carried out and will convey Senators' views. There is an opportunity here. An additional two members are proposed in the new draft legislation, and there are provisions on governance integrity and sanctions; the independence of the control committee and the appeals committee; and the period and number of terms that members can serve. There is an opportunity to make sure that there is a wider-ranging representation.

The members that have been filled over the last couple of years have been filled based on the expertise deficit identified in the Indecon report and, as I understand, went through the Public Appointments Service. They predate my time, but when one looks at their expertise, there is one individual who is a vet and a barrister and a solicitor who was once a State solicitor for Cork city. Among others, there is another person who is a managing director of Bank of Ireland finance and has executive risk-management experience. Those are the people who were employed. There would appear to be a need to put in the stakeholders. I attended the forum back in October to brief everybody. They were all invited and I spent three and a half hours with a member of the legal section of the Department to try to hear their views and listen and present the outline of the legislation that I thought we would have out before Christmas, to be honest. I think that structure is good but it needs to have more connectivity so that the recommendations that come through that get onto the board table and the people at board level representing the best interests of the industry take on board suggestions.It needs to have more connectivity so that the recommendations that come through that get onto the board table and the people at board level representing the best interests of the industry take suggestions on board.

Senator Burke made a tangible suggestion. He referred to how to increase revenue and perhaps use that to pay down legacy debt and release funds. When we say we should ring-fence Exchequer funding to increase prize money and the offering, that is true but if one is compromised by a debt that one has to service one is very limited.

I understand the extra expenditure relates to the franchise being taken back and extra people employed. I stand to be corrected, but I have been told that there was a net benefit to the revenue stream. I am also advised that the resignation of the CEO was in accordance with the terms of the contract, and legal advice was taken. I have no more detail on that, but if I get it I will send it to the Senator.

When a Bill goes through pre-legislative scrutiny, if the schedule of the House permits I would hope to have it fully enacted by the summer recess.