Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 July 2020
560. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an itemised schedule including headings of grants and or funding provided to the Irish Greyhound Board in 2019 and 2020 will be provided; the way in which funding is released to the board; the measures in place to ensure funding is used correctly; and the terms and conditions attached to the funding. [14088/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraBord na gCon (BnG) 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. BnG is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
All Exchequer funding for BnG for the years 2019 and 2020 was provided under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund (the Fund).
Monies from the Fund are provided to BnG under certain conditions and these were as follows for the years 2019 and 2020:-
- BnG must comply with its obligations under legislation and the various codes and directives issued by Government and by my Department.
- In addition, BnG must comply with sections 14 & 15 of the Horse Racing Ireland Act 2016 which emphasise the link between funding and delivery on strategic plans, good governance and reporting.
- BnG must not enter into future significant capital commitments without the prior approval of my Department.
- BnG must not dispose of publicly funded assets without the prior approval of my Department.
- BnG must comply with the provisions of DPER Circular 13/2014- Management of and Accountability for Grants from Exchequer Funds – Section 5 refers, copy attached and to the Public Spending Code (http://publicspendingcode.per.gov.ie/).
BnG was obliged to provide my Department with the following documents :
- Draft unaudited annual accounts for the preceding year, by the end of February of the current year, following their presentation to the BnG Board.
- Cumulative Profit and loss account on a monthly basis (together with supporting documentation breaking out figures into Tote & Track operations), to be supplied to my Department the day following their presentation to the BnG Board.
- Cumulative Balance Sheet & Cash Flow Statement to be provided on a quarterly basis the day following their presentation to the BnG Board, e.g. Reports in respect of Q1 of the current year will be forwarded to my Department following the April Board meeting.
- A certificate of assurance, (signed by the CEO & CFO, or equivalent executives) certifying that the funding provided in the previous year was used in accordance with the conditions under which it was granted, should be provided to my Department after all the money provided has been expended.
- In addition to the €500k which BnG currently allocates to addressing the pension liability, a further sum of €800k from the 2019 and 2020 allocation from the Fund is to be reserved to address the pension liability.
- In addition, there is considerable emphasis on governance; the Annual Report of BnG must be noted by the Cabinet and laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas. This Report would have been subject to audit and clearance by both BnG's internal auditors and the C&AG.
- My Department and BnG sign an annual Performance and Oversight Agreement and a Division within my Department monitor the achievement of the goals and targets set out in that Agreement.
- Finally, there are regular bilateral governance meetings at higher management and Ministerial level to discuss the policies, performance and funding of BnG.
In addition to the conditions and arrangements outlined above, my Department instructed BnG to apply the Fund in the following manner for 2019;
|
Category |
Not more than % set out below |
|
Prize money |
60% |
|
Operational grants to private tracks |
3% |
|
Regulatory & administrative costs of BnG and other statutory functions of Bord na gCon |
37% |
Support was provided to BnG in accordance with the following agreed 2019 drawdown schedule; January: €8.4m - March: €4.2m – May: €2.1m – September: €2.1m Total: €16.8m.
My Department instructed BnG to apply the 2020 Fund in the following manner:
A minimum of 10% of the total fund to be spent on welfare and integrity with the remainder as set out below.
|
Category |
Not more than % set out below |
|
Prize money |
60% |
|
Operational grants to private tracks |
3% |
|
Regulatory & administrative costs of BnG and other statutory functions of Bord na gCon |
27% |
The following drawdown schedule of payments was agreed between BnG and my Department in relation to disbursement of the 2020 Fund: January: €8.4m - March: €4.2m – May: €2.1m – September: €2.1m Total: €16.8m.
