FRANK Clarke, the Chief Justice, will replace Harry McCalmont as a director of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board at the end of the year. Clarke’s four-year term as President of the Supreme Court ends in October.

The IHRB has six directors. McCalmont is currently chairman, a post which will be taken by current vice-chairman Martin O’Donnell. The other directors are John Power, John Byrne, Philip McLernon and David McCorkell. Power is also due to step down as a director at the end of the year and his place will be taken by Myles O’Malley.

The “independence” of the IHRB directors was questioned this week by several contributors at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food, and the Marine.

Committee chairman Jackie Cahill asked the Department of Agriculture’s Kevin Smith: “Do you think it is appropriate the IHRB is self-appointed, given their responsibilities?”

Smith replied: “It is very clear in law where the responsibility lies with regard to the regulation of horse racing. The IHRB makes all decisions relating to integrity issues and they are very independent in terms of what the law says. There are strict controls on them in terms of corporate governance and accountability.

“There are two issues which keep coming up – one is whether it is necessary to have an independently-appointed person or persons on the committee, and the second is in regard to the gender balance of that committee. It’s not for me to dictate the make-up of it but I think a very strong message is coming through with regard to that.”

Although the current IHRB directors are all male, Meta Osborne was the first woman to lead an international racing regulatory body when she became senior steward of the Turf Club in 2015. Lynn Hillyer, Cliodhna Guy and Jennifer Pugh hold management roles in the IHRB.

Earlier this month the Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue, said he does not believe the structure of the IHRB needs to be changed. Responding to a Dáil question from Sinn Fein Longford-Westmeath TD Sorca Clarke on the issue, the Minister said: “I am satisfied the current structure of the IHRB is sufficiently independent to ensure maximum confidence that any allegations concerning doping, animal welfare abuses or other illegitimate activities are adequately investigated and will be followed up, where necessary.”

Tuesday’s Joint Committee meeting was the third and final session devoted to allegations regarding improper drug use in racing.

The Department’s Michael Sheehan explained why there were so few prosecutions over the 225kg of the anabolic steroid Nitrotain which was imported illegally into Ireland over 10 years by a veterinary inspector leading up to 2012. “There were a number of premises visited,” Sheehan said. “The importer refused to reveal where the product was used and the evidence which existed was weak. I know a significant effort was made at the time but if you don’t have residual evidence that is a problem.”