Bord na gCon debts - This waste is worrying

An Irish Examiner investigation today reveals that the Irish Greyhound Board, a commercial semi-state body, ratcheted up an over-spend of €5m on the construction of a new racecourse in Limerick.

The report also shows the board is under serious financial pressure and has faced difficulty paying a development debt to Limerick City Council.

No stranger to controversy, Bord na gCon, its Irish name, drew criticism from the Government over its handling of a doping scandal involving tests on two dogs in 2006. Not surprisingly, the Department of Agriculture is worried about its accumulated loans.

People have a right to know why a body that received taxpayer funding of €14.5m in 2007 has ended up with a bill for €23m for developing its Limerick complex which had an original price tag of €18m.

The costly litany of problems exposed by today’s report makes for worrying reading.

With the country mired in economic difficulty, if any commercial semi-state body over-spends, the Government must bring it to heel.