Corporate Information

Board Of Directors

  • Dan Flinter (Chairman)
  • Finola O’Mahony
  • Clodagh Kavanagh
  • Barry Lynch
  • Aisling O’Beirne
  • Dairine Walsh
  • Meta Osborne

Management Team

Accounts Information

Below you will find copies of our financial accounts.

Annual accounts for The Irish National Stud (2023)
Download (English)
Download (Irish)

Financial statements for previous seven years are also available please e-mail your request to [email protected]

Code of Conduct

Irish National Stud Code Of Conduct

Additional Information:
Code of Conduct

Freedom of Information

On 14 October 2014, the Freedom of Information Act 2014 came into effect and repealed the 1997 and 2003 Acts. The new Act introduced a number of changes to the Freedom of Information (FOI) scheme and widened the range of bodies to which the FOI legislation applies, to all public bodies unless specifically exempt. The old legislation continues to apply to any FOI request made before the new legislation came into effect. It also applies to any subsequent review or appeal.

Rules

The Freedom of Information Act 2014 provides the following statutory rights:

A legal right for each person to access information held by a body to which FOI legislation applies.
A legal right for each person to have official information relating to himself/herself amended where it is incomplete, incorrect or misleading.
A legal right to obtain reasons for decisions affecting himself/herself.

Requests for information
You can ask for the following records:

Any records relating to you personally, whenever they were created.

All other records created after a certain date:

  • 21 October 1998 for the HSE and local authorities
  • 21 April 1998 for public bodies that were covered by the old FOI legislation
  • 21 April 2008 for public bodies that were not covered by the old FOI legislation

A record can be a paper document or information held on computer.

You should clearly identify the information you want and some information may not be given to you because it is exempt, for example because it would unfairly reveal personal details about another person.

* There are no fees where you appeal a decision to charge a fee or deposit, or a fee or deposit of a specific amount.

** Reduced fees will apply in respect of medical card holders and third parties who appeal a decision to release their information on public interest grounds.

No fees apply where the request involves access to your personal records.

Charges for search, retrieval and copying of records

Charges may be applied for the time spent finding and retrieving records and for any copying costs incurred in providing you with the material requested.

If the estimated cost of search, retrieval and copying is more than €700 the body can refuse to process your request, unless you refine your request to bring the search, retrieval and copying fees below this limit.

How to apply

It is important to note that it may not be necessary to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act from a body. A considerable amount of material is already made available to the public through websites, information leaflets, publications and in response to oral and written enquiries.

If the information you require is not readily available, you must make your request in writing to the FOI Unit of the body and your application should refer to the Freedom of Information Act. If your application for information does not mention the Act, then your application will be dealt with as an ordinary request for information. If information is required in a particular form (for example, photocopy or computer disk) this should be specified in the application.

Try to be as specific as you can in order to enable the organisation to identify the information you require. Where possible try to indicate the time period for which you wish to access records (for example, records created between May 2012 and December 2012).

Under the Act, a request for records must be acknowledged within 2 weeks and, in most cases, responded to within 4 weeks. If a third party is involved, there may be another 3 weeks before you receive a response.

You can find more information on making a request on the www.foi.gov.ie website.

Please include the following information when submitting an FOI request*:

  • First Name
  • Surname
  • Address
  • Name of the organisation on whose behalf you are making the request and, your position within that organisation (if applicable).
  • Description of your request – please provide as much detail as possible.

Or, complete the application form available here

*Please note that if you are seeking information/records relating to you personally, you may be asked for proof of your identity.

By post:

Freedom of Information requests should be addressed to:
Freedom of Information,
Stud Office,
Irish National Stud & Gardens,
Tully,
County Kildare,
Ireland.

FOI review procedures

If you are not satisfied with the response to any aspect of your request for information (for example, refusal of information, form of access or charges) you can seek to have the decision re-examined. Also, if you have not received a reply within 4 weeks of your initial application (this is deemed a refusal of your request) you can seek to have the decision re-examined.

The internal review of an FOI decision is carried out by more senior members of staff within the body and must be made within 3 weeks. An application for review of a decision should be addressed to the FOI Unit of the body involved.

FOI appeals

If you are still unhappy with the decision, you have the right to appeal the decision to the Information Commissioner. The Information Commissioner investigates complaints of non-compliance with FOI legislation and generally promotes a freedom of information culture in the public service.

Acknowledgement of receipt of enquiry will be sent from email address [email protected], please ensure your spam filter as applicable, will facilitate receipt of emails from this address.

Freedom of Information Application Form – Download
Freedom of Information Act 2014 – Download
Freedom of Information Act 1997 – Download

PROTECTED DISCLOSURES ANNUAL REPORT 2023

24th January 2024

Annual Report of the IRISH NATIONAL STUD under the Protected Disclosures Act, 2014
Section 22 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 requires the publication of an Annual Report each year relating to the number of protected disclosures made in the preceding year and any actions taken in response to such disclosures.

Pursuant to this requirement, the Irish National Stud confirms that no reports were received and/or are under investigation in accordance with the provisions of the Protected Disclosures Act, 2014 for the financial year from 1st January 2023 to 31st December 2023.

Customer Charter

The Customer Charter below sets out the standards of service that our customers can expect from the Irish National Stud. These services are aligned to the 12 Principles of Quality Customer Service:-

1. Quality Service Standards
Publish a statement that outlines the nature and quality of service which customers can expect, and display it prominently at the point of service delivery.

2. Equality/Diversity
Ensure the rights to equal treatment established by equality legislation, and accommodate diversity, so as to contribute to equality for the groups covered by the equality legislation (under the grounds of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller Community). Identify and work to eliminate barriers to access to services for people experiencing poverty and social exclusion, and for those facing geographic barriers to services.

3. Physical Access
Provide clean, accessible public offices that ensure privacy, comply with occupational and safety standards and, as part of this, facilitate access for people with disabilities and others with specific needs.

4. Information
Take a proactive approach in providing information that is clear, timely and accurate, is available at all points of contact, and meets the requirements of people with specific needs. Ensure that the potential offered by Information Technology is fully availed of and that the information available on public service web sites follows the guidelines on web publication. Continue the drive for simplification of rules, regulations, forms, information leaflets and procedures.

5. Timeliness and Courtesy Deliver quality services with courtesy, sensitivity and the minimum delay, fostering a climate of mutual respect between provider and customer. Give contact names in all communications to ensure ease of ongoing transactions.

6. Complaints
Maintain a well-publicised, accessible, transparent and simple-to-use system of dealing with complaints about the quality of service provided.

7. Appeals
Similarly, maintain a transparent and simple-to-use system of appeal/review for customers who are dissatisfied with decisions in relation to services.

8. Consultation and Evaluation
Provide a structured approach to meaningful consultation with, and participation by, the customer in relation to the development, delivery and review of services. Ensure meaningful evaluation of service delivery.

9. Choice
Provide choice, where feasible, in service delivery including payment methods, location of contact points, opening hours and delivery times. Use available and emerging technologies to ensure maximum access and choice, and quality of delivery.

10. Official Languages Equality
Provide quality services through Irish and/or bilingually and inform customers of their right to choose to be dealt with through one or other of the official languages.

11. Better Co-ordination
Foster a more co-ordinated and integrated approach to delivery of public services.

12. Internal Customer
Ensure staff are recognised as internal customers and that they are properly supported and consulted with regard to service delivery issues.

Irish National Stud core customer values:

  • We aspire to customer excellence by responding to our customers through mutual identification of needs, and working with them to achieve agreed outcomes.
  • We are innovative and flexible in meeting the changing needs of our customers.
  • We consult our customers in an open and impartial way.
  • We endeavour to provide all services to our customers as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Quality Service Delivery

The Irish National Stud will deliver quality service in a number of ways including, but not limited to:

Staff/Customer: Support a customer service ethos amongst all members of staff. This charter confers on customers and Irish National Stud employees the same levels of respect and courtesy.

Customer Information: Customers can access information on The Irish National Stud, by visiting or contacting our offices, via corporate brochures and promotions or, by browsing our website www.irishnationalstud.ie.

Best Practice: Adopt best practice and be innovative in support of advancing technology.

Equality: Provide our services to all customers in a courteous, fair and impartial manner and in full compliance with all equality legislation. Our premises are accessible to all people with disabilities and by providing special treatment and facilities required to enable them to avail of our services.

Health & Safety: Provide facilities and offices that comply with occupational health and safety standards.

Privacy & Confidentiality: All out dealings with our customers are conducted in a manner that respects their rights to privacy and confidentiality.

Consultation & Feedback: Listen to, value and consider carefully all views expressed and where possible and within a realistic timescale, agree a way forward. The Irish National Stud welcomes your comments, suggestions and views on any aspect of our service because this will help us to better satisfy your needs.

Promptness: Reply to all letters, emails, faxes and voicemails promptly and efficiently. If the preparation of a reply requires more than 7 working days, the Irish National Stud will issue an interim acknowledgement of receipt to all messages/correspondence.

Complaints: Deal with all queries in an open, objective and fair manner. Every effort will be made to resolve the complaint to the satisfaction of both the customer and The Irish National Stud (reference Customer Feedback procedure reference INS OP 54).

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Address

Irish National Stud & Gardens,
Brallistown Little, Tully, Co. Kildare,
R51 AP20, Ireland
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