The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport has called on Sport Ireland to clarify responses to six questions in regards to governance issues.
In email correspondence seen by Off The Ball that is dated November 20th 2019 and marked "Urgent", the committee states that it "wishes to put Sport Ireland, Minister [Shane] Ross, and the Football Association of Ireland, on urgent notice that it is ready to meet with" those stakeholders about governance issues as well as the potential "restoration of State funding to" the FAI, among other matters related to the Association.
The correspondence makes reference to a previous email dated October 7th which details six questions. The six queries in question are listed alphabetically from A to F. Those questions include expected dates for a number of reports into governance at the FAI. They also include a clarification of details regarding the "exit package" for ex-FAI chief executive John Delaney.
Six Questions
A) Expected date of receipt, by Sport Ireland of the forensic audit report being carried out into matters related to the FAI, by KOSI Corporation, and confirmation of the earliest date in which Sport Ireland will be available to discuss same with the Joint Committee thereafter.
B) The Committee notes the developments that follow receipt of that report by Sport Ireland (as per your letter) and the Committee requests that the final audit report be submitted to the Joint Committee, as soon as possible after it is presented to the Minister, bearing in mind that this forensic audit was requested by the Joint Committee at its hearings last April. An expected date of delivery of this report to the Joint Committee is requested.
C) The expected date of completion of the Mazars report into certain matters relating to the FAI, and if, and when that report will be presented to Sport Ireland and subsequently to the Joint Committee .
D) The expected date of completion of the Grant Thornton report into certain matters relating to the FAI, and if, and when that report will be presented to Sport Ireland and subsequently to the Joint Committee.
E) If details of the “exit package” agreed between the FAI and former Chief Executive/Executive Vice President following his recent resignation, have, or will be supplied to Sport Ireland, and if so the Joint Committee requests details of same.
F) Any other details of discussions/correspondence between Sport Ireland and the FAI, regarding governance issues at, and the restoration of State funding to that body which is currently suspended.
Delay
The forensic audit into the FAI's financing was delayed last month following Delaney's resignation from his role as FAI executive vice-president. On October 25th, the FAI subsequently stated that the pair of reports into the association's governance would be delivered "in the coming weeks".
The FAI-commissioned report by Mazars will be available in its initial form "towards the end of November".
