Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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464. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Chairman of the Irish Greyhound Board has met with the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, as promised in November 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21962/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I appointed Mr Phil Meaney as chairman of Bord na gCon in April 2011, following extensive consultation with those with in-depth knowledge of the industry, and an assessment of his background and experience. As the deputy is aware it is Government policy in the case of those being proposed for appointment as chairpersons of state boards, that such persons will be required to make themselves available to the appropriate Oireachtas committee to discuss the approach which they intend to take to their role as chairperson and their views about the future contribution of the body or board in question.

In September 2011 Mr Meaney made himself available to go before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and Marine for the purposes outlined above but the Committee opted not to meet with Mr Meaney. This was clarified in a letter to my Department on 3 October 2012 when the Joint Committee advised that they did not require to meet the chairpersons to state boards who had already been appointed by the Minister prior to that date. However, Mr Meaney has appeared on two occasions in 2014 before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine on issues relating to Bord na gCon.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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465. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that the Irish Greyhound Board and the Irish Coursing Club have enforced the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations 2005 since their introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21963/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is responsible for the identification and registration of greyhounds in the Irish Greyhound Studbook. The ICC is subject to the general control and direction of Bord na gCon (BNG) under Section 26(2) of the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 (the Act). BNG is the statutory body with responsibility for the improvement and development of the greyhound industry, greyhound racing and coursing. Detailed rules governing the practice of the artificial insemination of greyhounds were set down in the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations, 2005, (S.I. No. 561 of 2005), which were made by BNG under Section 39 of the Act.

The Regulations included a two year limit on the use of semen for artificial insemination following the death of a stud dog, thereafter any unused semen had to be destroyed.

As I have already outlined to the Deputy in Parliamentary Question 18753 for answer on Wednesday, 13th May 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 2005 regulations referred to above. Following a Board Meeting regarding the matter, as already outlined new legislation ‘Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds (Amendment) Regulations 2014’ has been introduced by BNG in late 2014 removing the two-year limit.