Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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125. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he and his Department became aware of breaches of the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations 2005 and the steps he and his Department have taken to ensure the integrity of the Irish Greyhound Stud Book is protected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26441/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is the authority responsible for the registration and identification of greyhounds. The ICC is subject to the general control and direction of Bord na gCon under Section 26 (2) of the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958. Bord na gCon is the statutory body with responsibility for the improvement and development of the greyhound industry, greyhound racing and coursing.

The requirements governing the practice of artificial insemination of greyhounds are set down in the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations, 2005, S.I. No. 561 of 2005, which were made by Bord na gCon.

My Department was informed by Bord na gCon in early 2013 that procedural issues had arisen in relation to the registration of greyhounds conceived following artificial insemination which were at variance with the provisions set down in the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations, 2005, S.I. No. 561 of 2005. The matters at issue are between Bord na gCon and the ICC.

Officials from my Department raised these matters with executives at the highest level in Bord na gCon on a number of occasions in 2013 and again in 2014. Bord na gCon has confirmed to my Department that it has had a number of discussions with the ICC on these matters. Most recently Bord na gCon has informed my Department that it has initiated intensive discussions with a wide range of industry stakeholders, including the Irish Coursing Club, on these issues in recent weeks and it has invited written submissions from interested parties. I understand from Bord na gCon that there has been productive dialogue in this regard and that a comprehensive proposal for the resolution of this issue is imminent.