Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 19: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position regarding the legislation being drafted to implement the key recommendations made in the Dalton report; when the legislation will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5560/07]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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On 1 February 2006, I appointed Mr. Tim Dalton, former Secretary General of the Department of Justice, Equality, and Law Reform, to carry out an independent assessment concerning corporate governance and related matters affecting Bord na gCon. Mr. Dalton delivered his Report on 5 April 2006.

On 4 July 2006, the Government approved specific actions to be taken in line with the recommendations of the Dalton Report. These included:

the drafting of legislation, as a matter of urgency, to implement key recommendations made in the Dalton Report relating to the tenure of the Chairman and the Board of Bord na gCon, to increase the size of the Board from seven to nine members, and to arrange for the reconstitution of the Board along these lines as soon as circumstances permit;

an examination of the options for the establishment of a Doping Control Committee as an agency independent of Bord na gCon;

the immediate publication of the Report;

a root and branch review of the Greyhound Industry Acts 1958-1993 with a view to bringing legislation dealing with the greyhound industry into line with best current practice.

The Report has already been published. The former Chair has resigned and I have appointed a new Chair, Mr. Dick O'Sullivan, and another new member in succession to an outgoing member. In January of this year, the Board of Bord na gCon appointed a new Chief Executive. The Bord na gCon (Amendment) Bill, needed to give effect to the changes necessary regarding the tenure of the Chair, and the size and composition of the Board of Bord na gCon, is currently listed on the Government Legislation Programme for Spring Session 2007.

In relation to the establishment of an independent Doping Control Committee, while Mr Dalton concluded that greyhound racing is by and large a clean sport and that infringements are quite low and falling, it was decided that new arrangements would not be delayed until the relevant legislative changes were made, but would be implemented now by the Board, using its existing powers. The legislative amendments will, when enacted, confirm this new system and make it mandatory.

Accordingly, on 10 January 2007, Bord na gCon announced the establishment of an Independent Control Committee and an Independent Appeals Committee, in accordance with the provisions of existing legislation. The Control Committee will consist of five independent persons including a qualified solicitor/barrister and a veterinarian. The overall level of testing and scale of sanctions for offences will be set by the Board of Bord na gCon while the action or sanction to be take in any particular case will be a matter entirely for the Control Committee.

The Board has also established and appointed a separate independent Control Appeals Committee consisting of three independent persons, including a qualified solicitor/barrister and two veterinarians. The Control Appeals Committee will be responsible for hearing any appeals rising from decisions of the Control Committee. A more wide-ranging and fundamental review of the Greyhound Industry Acts is also being undertaken and I will revert to Government with the results of that exercise in due course.