Committee of Public Accounts to examine 2021 Financial Statements of Greyhound Racing Ireland

The meeting at 9.30am in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House will be joined by Andy Harkness, Director of Audit at the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, and representatives of GRI led by its Chairperson, Frank Nyhan, and Interim CEO, John Touhey, who is the Accountable Person to the Committee on Public Accounts. Officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) will also be in attendance.

During the afternoon session, beginning at 1.30pm, the Committee will consider correspondence and other business of the Committee.

Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Brian Stanley said: “Greyhound Racing Ireland is a commercial semi-state body charged with regulating and promoting greyhound racing in Ireland. The organisation has licensed a total of 14 tracks in Ireland, of which nine are owned and operated by GRI. The remainder are owned and operated by private enterprises.

“GRI receives Exchequer funding through the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund, which was established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001 and is controlled and administered by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine. GRI’s allocation from the fund in 2021 was €19.2 million and accounted for 91 per cent of its income for 2021.

“Areas of interest for the Committee include how GRI plans to increase turnover and control costs following the restrictions it faced during the Covid-19 pandemic; GRI’s contribution to prize money for races which last year amounted to €6.8 million or one third of its allocation from the Horse and Greyhound Fund; considerable increases in costs related to legal proceeding and provisions for ongoing legal actions against GRI; and expenditure on animal welfare, including the care of greyhounds no longer involved in racing.

“The Committee looks forward to examining these and related issues with Mr Nyhan, Mr Touhey and their colleagues.”

The meeting in Committee Room 3 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

PAC is a standing committee of Dáil Éireann which focuses on ensuring public services are run efficiently and achieve value for money. Further information on the role and remit of the Committee can be found here.

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