FOLLOWING the news on Monday evening that the High Court appointed an interim examiner to Horse Sport Ireland (HSI), the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, said he "expects" services delivered by HSI to continue during this process.

Minister Heydon's department funds HSI to the tune of €6 million annually. The Minister said he was notified that HSI presented a petition to the High Court seeking the appointment of an examiner, and that an Interim Examiner has been appointed following an order of the High Court.

A statement said the Minister understands that this decision was taken by the Board of HSI on foot of professional legal and financial advice and the Board will request the examiner prioritise continuation of the services to stakeholders which HSI carries out under contract on behalf of the DAFM.

Minister Heydon said: “While regrettable, I do understand that the decision by the Board of HSI to seek examinership is in the best interests of the company and the stakeholders they serve. In particular, my thoughts are with the staff of HSI amid the uncertainty that this process may bring. I expect that the studbook services and breeding programmes which HSI deliver will continue to run smoothly during this process.”

Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) is a private commercial company limited by guarantee and has 47 employees. It is understood staff were informed of the examinership at an all-staff meeting on Monday afternoon.

HSI was established in December 2006 by a joint initiative of the then Ministers for Agriculture and Tourism and Sport.

HSI supports the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in developing the breeding and production side of the sport horse sector through the delivery of studbook services and associated breeding programmes and Equine National Breeding Services (NBS). Contracts for both of these services were awarded to HSI following competitive procurement processes carried out by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Separately, the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, via Sport Ireland, provides funding for the development of the sport side of the sector. This is channelled through HSI which is responsible for the High-Performance Programmes of the Olympic disciplines and their pathway programmes.