Consultants investigating an irregularity at the greyhound board have been unable for up to three years to interview potential witnesses, an Oireachtas committee heard yesterday.
The acting chief executive of Bord na gCon, Mr Michael Foley, also told the Committee of Public Accounts that the board had gifted between two and four €5,000 greyhounds per year to celebrities on the condition that any of the dogs' winnings would go to charity.
Mr Foley said one of the dogs, The Late Late Show, which was given to RTÉ presenter Pat Kenny, had won €218,000.
He said none of the dogs were given to politicians, adding that the scheme had increased the board's profile at a low cost.
He said PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) was engaged in 2001 or 2002 to investigate the procurement of a €100,000 to €140,000 reserve electricity generator for Shelbourne Park.
The investigation, which is still ongoing, was initiated when it emerged that the generator purchased as new was second-hand.
While Socialist TD Mr Joe Higgins said it was unsatisfactory that the investigation was still ongoing "two or even three years later", Mr Foley said that PwC's legal advisers had had difficulties contacting certain individuals.
Mr Foley was giving evidence on the board's accounts for 2002.
He characterised the industry as being in a period of significant capital investment funded by the State and through land sales.
The board's debt would increase to €15 million in 2005, before reducing significantly in the period to 2008.
The board is projecting €50 million in totalisator betting revenues this year, and on-course bookmakers are projecting revenues of €90 million.
Attendances are expected to increase to 1.4 million. Sponsorship revenue is projected at €1.3 million, and prize money of €9.5 million is expected.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr John Purcell, said that there had been a "certain informality" about the board's procurement of catering, cleaning and security services before its procedures came within his remit.
"All of our points have been taken on board now. Things are much more in line with what might be expected," he said.
Committee members also made references to correspondence about the board's activities which they had received from an unnamed individual.
Mr John McGuinness TD said such information would make a "good book" if half of it proved true.
He suggested that the board's accounts showed that its race tracks were loss-making.
Mr Foley said the tracks lost €680,000 in 2001 and €418,000 in 2002, but added that tote betting revenues from each of the race courses were centralised at board level. He said courses had a surplus last year of €339,0000, and a surplus of €750,000 to €1 million was projected this year.
