Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 June 2015
110. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if and when the chairperson of the Irish Greyhound Board will appear before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22875/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI appointed Mr. Phil Meaney as chairman of Bord na gCon in April 2011.
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.
