Michael Creed TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, has launched a public consultation to assist the review of the Irish Harness Racing sector. The Minister said, following a discussion at the joint committee and the committee stage of the Horse Racing Ireland Bill 2016 it was agreed to consider a review of the industry. The review will focus on:
• Assessing the value of the Harness Racing Sector’s contribution to the economic and social life of the Country.
• Assess the potential of the Harness Racing Sector to increase its contribution to the Irish economy.
• Evaluating the current structure of the Irish Harness Racing Association (IHRA) as an organisation and decide whether the board operates in accordance with best practice governance principles. Examine the, size, skills make-up and method of appointment to the board to ensure it is best designed to ensure that the organisation operates efficiently.
He continued, “The industry needs to be reviewed to assess the potential for the development of the industry. My department expects to be in a position to select a company to carry out the review in the next few weeks, and in the meantime it has invited submissions on these structures through a public consultation which will be made available to the successful tenderer to aid their work. I encourage all of those interested in this important sector to respond to this public consultation”
