Minister gone to the dogs over Bord na gCon, says Rabbitte

THE Government’s handling of the Bord na gCon affair has degenerated into total farce, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said yesterday.

He accused Sports Minister John O’Donoghue of being “hapless” in the face of widespread leaks to the media of the Dalton Report, and the continued media appearances of the greyhound board’s chairman Paschal Taggart, despite warnings to desist from comment.

On Thursday, the minister “deplored in the strongest possible terms” the leaks of the confidential report and also public comments from the parties involved — taken as a direct reference to Mr Taggart.

However, after the minister issued the statement, Mr Taggart spoke to the Irish Examiner and later appeared on RTÉ’s Prime Time. He defended his stance on the basis that he needed to protect his integrity against those who were briefing against him and he could not wait until the official publication of the report, which is not expected for another fortnight.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Mr O’Donoghue said he would not be making a comment on Mr Taggart’s latest media outings and the fact that they were in direct defiance of the statement issued by the minister.

Nor would the spokesman comment when asked if the minister had moved to remove Mr Taggart from the chair of the state body, or on his reaction to the section of the sport which highlighted the poor relationship between the board of Bord na gCon and the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism.

Mr Rabbitte questioned the ability of the minister to handle the controversy.

“When is the minister going to assert his authority and regain public control over an organisation, funded by the taxpayer, that is increasingly taking on the characteristics of a personal fiefdom?” he asked.

“Minister O’Donoghue must now urgently act by publishing the report, implementing its recommendations, reasserting public control over Bord na gCon and begin the process of restoring confidence among those who work in or patronise the industry,” he said.

The report, which was submitted on April 5, was written by Tim Dalton, the former secretary general of the Department of Justice. It inquired into the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of the former chief executive Aidan Tynan and whether this was connected to a row between him and the board over the integrity of its drug-control policies.

Mr Dalton widened the ambit of the report to look into other issues including governance, the lack of women on the main board, and the deteriorating relationship between the board and its sponsoring department.

While stating the EPO controversy was not the only factor leading to Mr Tynan’s dismissal, Bord na gCon said the letter he sent to Mr O’Donoghue raising concerns was a factor.