Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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508. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Irish Greyhound Board will consider meeting representatives of an association (details supplied) on a more regular basis to discuss the modernisation of the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31589/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Bord na gCon is a commercial State body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry.

Bord na gCon has informed me that following a stakeholders consultative forum held in December 2015, Bord na gCon established a National Greyhound Consultative Forum.

A cross-section of groups is invited to the forum on the basis that they are mandated to represent their members. As the controlling body of some Greyhound Owners and Breeders Associations (GOBAs), the Irish Greyhound Owners and Breeders Federation (IGOBF) is included to represent those affiliations. Other groups, including but not limited to GOBAs which are  no longer affiliated to the IGOBF, are included on the same basis.

To date two meetings have been held in 2016 and Bord na gCon is arranging for another meeting in early November. 

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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509. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if all the findings from the Morris report into the greyhound industry in Ireland will be implemented in the greyhound industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31590/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Bord na gCon is a commercial State body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry.

Bord na gCon has informed me that it has systematically worked through the recommendations contained in the Morris Report, addressing those that it can within the current legislative framework. In addition it has introduced out of competition testing at kennels, publication of adverse analytical findings, a prohibition on racing following an adverse analytical finding until the result of the test is negative, together with the publication of Control Committee decisions and the reasons for those decisions.

I will shortly be bringing forward the heads of a greyhound racing bill to address  certain aspects of the report and to ensure that the principles of good governance and regulation are clearly and unambiguously laid down in primary legislation.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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510. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if further to Parliamentary Question No. 134 of 15 July 2015, he has received a progress report (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31592/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Bord na gCon is a commercial State body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry.

I understand from Bord na gCon that it has been in communication with the individual concerned by means of a decision letter under the Freedom of Information Act 2014, dated 5th October 2016.

Bord na gCon stated in its letter of the 5th October that it did not conduct any formal investigation into the matter as it has been determined by Bord na gCon, following its enquires,  that this is a matter for the Irish Coursing Club (ICC), the employer of the person concerned.