Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response and engagement. Corporate governance would be strengthened, rather than weakened, in accepting the amendment. Corporate governance in State boards is something on which the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has done a lot of excellent work, in conjunction with the Institute of Public Administration and others. While the control committee is not a State board, it is a sub-committee that is dealing with the eradication of drugs in the sport and involved in the making of adjudication decisions on the validity or otherwise of laboratory results. It needs absolute independence from the sector as otherwise there will be a grey area. I am not sure how that issue can be addressed. The Minister of State has indicated that he will look at the matter and I am willing to await the outcome of his deliberations. If that is the case, I will withdraw the amendment and resubmit it on Report Stage. In the meantime perhaps we might work on a wording. I am not sure whether the Minister of State is willing to come as far as might be acceptable to me, but in a spirit of co-operation I am willing to try.

I know that the Minister of State's heart is in the right place. He is bringing forward the legislation at a very important time. It is excellent and will strengthen the sector. My objective is to make it better. This area needs an independent evaluation mechanism. I am not casting aspersions on anyone involved in the control committee - neither the chairperson nor any member - but I am raising serious questions. I would be conflicted if I was chairman of the control committee and had a greyhound that was racing and that was being trained by a trainer who previously had dogs that had tested positive for drugs and if I was expected to make decisions on other dogs tested for drugs and with the same trainer. It does not make sense, but that is what is happening and if we allow it to continue, the legislation will rubber-stamp it. I am willing to meet the Minister of State halfway to find a solution.

I gather the Minister of State is not willing to concede on the four-year term. Could we reach a compromise to allow me not to press the amendment? Eight years is a long time for someone to be a member of the control committee. It also precludes more people from getting involved in such a committee. Let us take as an example someone who becomes involved in the control committee who is independent of the greyhound industry but who, or a family member, might develop an interest in owning a greyhound. He or she might not want to serve on the control committee for a period greater than four years because he or she might want to buy a greyhound but cannot do so as he or she would no longer be independent. Therefore, it might be better to shorten the term as it might improve the position in finding candidates. Could the term be made shorter, for example, three years instead of four? Would that be an alternative solution?