Top Irish officials to face parliamentary hearing over €350,000 transfer from jockeys' fund and RTE Investigates programme

The transfer of €350,000 from the Jockeys Emergency Fund to the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) and the fallout from the RTE Investigates programme will be on the agenda when senior racing officials are questioned by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday morning.

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) chief executive Suzanne Eade and Darragh O'Loughlin, her counterpart at the IHRB, will be in attendance at Leinster House.

Scrutiny will focus on the transfer from the Jockeys Emergency Fund and on last Wednesday's RTE Investigates programme, which featured distressing footage at Ireland's only licensed equine abattoir in Straffan, County Kildare, with hidden cameras exposing routine animal welfare abuse.

At a PAC hearing in June last year, O'Loughlin revealed that he had unearthed a financial issue of "grave concern" pertaining to the IHRB's 2022 accounts before noting that chief financial officer Donal O'Shea, who had been scheduled to appear in front of the committee that day, was on "voluntary leave" with immediate effect "without prejudice to his position".

Last Friday, after the publication of the IHRB's 2022 annual report, the nature of the financial irregularity was revealed to be a transfer of €350,000 from the Jockeys Emergency Fund to the IHRB in January 2022, which was reversed three months later. The Jockeys Emergency Fund is one of three charities that the IHRB is charged with administering.

It was subsequently confirmed after last year's PAC hearing that auditing and accounting firm Mazars would undertake an investigation but the findings still have not been publicised 12 months later.

PAC chair Brian Stanley confirmed that the status of the review will be a key part of the hearing and the IHRB's financial statements from 2022 will be examined, along with those of HRI.

He said: “Key issues for the committee with regard to the IHRB are the independent external review in relation to financial governance, enforcement of the rules of racing, provision of integrity services such as monitoring and controlling the activities of horseracing officials, providing licences to horseracing trainers and jockeys, enforcing doping controls and providing forensic testing and handicapping."

Seamus McCarthy, the comptroller and auditor general, who audited the IHRB's 2022 financial statements, will be present at the hearing. Officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will also be in attendance.

Questions surrounding the RTE Investigates programme will be put to HRI.

Stanley said: “Matters for the committee to examine with HRI include animal welfare and traceability, the growth and sustainability of Ireland’s horse racing and breeding industries, the Curragh racecourse development, security and standards for the sport of horse racing in Ireland, standards of integrity and anti-doping, trickle-down of prize-money, clarity of roles with regard to other players in the sector and protecting the industry’s reputation and economic value."

He added: "The committee looks forward to examining the 2022 financial statements of both HRI and the IHRB and related matters with Ms Eade, Mr O’Loughlin and their colleagues."

Read these next:

IHRB's 'bombshell' financial governance issue relates to transfer of €350,000 from charity jockeys' fund 

Abattoir featured in last week's RTE Investigates programme 'now fully suspended' reveals minister 

Horse Racing Ireland vows to support investigations after RTE programme highlights 'appalling' abuse at equine abattoir 

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