Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 October 2023
176. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if, with regard to the Indecon report entitled Review of Certain Aspects of the Irish Horse Racing Industry, he will provide an update on the provision of a seat on Horse Sport Ireland for a northern representative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43016/23]
View answer177. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the seat of the Northern Ireland Horse Board on the Horse Sport Ireland breeding and production advisory council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43017/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 176 and 177 together.
I understand that the Board of Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) is currently reviewing its Constitution. In this regard, Clause 39 of the Constitution outlines how the Board is composed. Specifically, in relation to the representative of the horse sport industry in Northern Ireland, it states: “One person shall be appointed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in consultation with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, as nominated by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and Sport Northern Ireland to represent the horse sport industry in Northern Ireland.”
As this position has been vacant for some time, to try and progress this matter, officials in my Department met remotely with officials from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on two occasions to consider options to facilitate the appointment. Our colleagues from DAERA have indicated that it is not possible to secure a nomination in line with the existing HSI Constitution at the present time.
It was noted that NI Sports Forum, an umbrella organisation which represents the sports industry in NI, has a Board Recruitment Programme (nisf.net) which includes a database of people with a variety of skills who would be interested in joining a board. This is considered the most appropriate way to facilitate a NI appointment. However, it would require an amendment to the current Clause 39 of the HSI constitution. Should the proposed amendment to the constitution be accepted by the Board of HSI, my Department would then issue a request to the NI Sports Forum for a nominee to represent the NI horse sport industry.
