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IHRB Customer Charter

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) is dedicated to ensuring the integrity and fairness of horseracing in Ireland. We are committed to providing high-quality services to all our stakeholders, including racing participants, industry professionals, and the general public. 


This charter outlines the standards of service you can expect from us and our commitment to the principles of quality customer service.

Our Values

  • Professionalism: We deliver a high-quality service with experitse and dedication. 
  • Excellence: We strive for excellence in everything we do.
  • Safety: We always prioritise the safety and welfare of horses and riders. 
  • Accountability: We make ourselves accountable for our actions and decisions. 
  • Respect: We treat everyone with respect and dignity. 
  • Integrity: We uphold the highest standards of honesty, fairness and transparency in all our dealings. 

The Customer Charter aligns with the IHRB's Strategy for 2024-2027, which focuses on safeguarding the integrity and reputation of Irish Horseracing. This includes providing efficient and transparent regulations, fostering an environment of fair competition, and ensuring safety and well-being of participants and horses through our Strategic Pillars.

Strategic Pillars

  • People: Empowering all our people to openly and consistently achieve the highest professional standards
  • Integrity: Maximising our knowledge and professionalism to deliver with uncompromising integrity
  • Welfare: A relentless focus on the safety and well-being of our human and edquine participants
  • Digital First: Providing best-in-class information systems to support effective decision making and efficient operations. 
  • Governance: Consistently applying a robust governance framework and rigorous probity regime. 



Our Commitments 


Quality Service Standards 


We are committed to delivering professional and courteous services to all customers in a timely, effective, helpful and polite manner. We will:

  • Publish and prominently display a statement outlining the nature and quality of service you can expect from us.
  • Ensure our services are delivered in accordance with our values.
  • Regularly review and update our service standards to ensure continuous improvement.



 Equality and Diversity 


We are committed to treating all customers equally and accommodating diversity. We will:

  • Ensure equal treatment for all, as established by equality legislation.
  • Work to eliminate barriers to access for people experiencing poverty, social exclusion, or geographic barriers.
  • Promote an inclusive environment that respects and values diversity.


Physical Access 


We will ensure our facilities are accessible and welcoming. We will:

  • Maintain clean, accessible offices that ensure privacy.
  • Comply with occupational and safety standards.
  • Facilitate access for people with disabilities and others with specific needs.


Information 


We will provide clear, accurate and up-to-date information. We will:

  • Provide an appropriate variety of communication channels including the use of electronic, print, media, private meetings and public events.
  • Try to ensure that we make the best use of available and emerging technologies to facilitate improved access to information and improved choice for customers.
  • Ensure that all publications are available online.
  • Simplify rules, regulations, forms, and procedures to make them easier to understand.


Timeliness and Courtesy


We will deliver our services with courtesy, respect, and minimal delay. We will:

  • Endeavour to respond to your inquiries and requests promptly and efficiently. 
  • Provide contact names in all communications to ensure ease of ongoing transactions.
  • If you contact us by telephone, we commit to:
    • Answering your call quickly and directing your call to the correct department or individual;
    • Giving you our name and department when we answer;
    • Being helpful and courteous and doing our best to provide you with clear and correct information;
    • Responding to telephone messages within 24 – 48 hours, if possible, although we may ask that you submit your query in writing if your query is complex in nature;
    • Please note that for data protection reasons, we are required to confirm the identity of licensees and licence applicants by seeking two to three pieces of personal information before discussing registration details;
  • If you contact us by email or post, we commit to:
    • Ensuring that all written communication is clear and understandable, and contains a IHRB staff contact name, telephone number and email address.
        • Acknowledging your correspondence within 2 working days of receipt and responding in writing and/or by telephone within seven working days. 
        • This may take longer where there is a particularly high demand for services, or in the case of more complex queries. However, we will endeavour to issue a final reply to all written correspondence within 15 working days and will keep you updated on the progress of your query.
        • Ensuring that all written communication is clear and understandable, and contains a IHRB staff contact name, telephone number and email address.
  • We will strive to make our processes as user-friendly and efficient as possible


Complaints 


We will maintain a transparent and accessible system for dealing with complaints. We will:

  • Ensure our complaints procedure is clear and easy to use.
  • Handle complaints about the quality of service provided efficiently and effectively.
  • Use feedback from complaints to improve our services.

 

Appeals


We will provide a formalised system for appeals. We will:

  • Ensure our appeals process is well-publicised, accessible, and transparent.
  • Handle appeals related to decisions about our services fairly and impartially.
  • Review and learn from appeals to enhance our decision-making processes.


Consultation and Evaluation


We will engage with our customers in the development, delivery, and review of services. We will:

  • Provide structured opportunities for meaningful consultation and participation.
  • Actively seek feedback and use it to evaluate and improve our services.
  • Ensure our consultation processes are inclusive and representative of our diverse customer base.


 Choice 


We will provide choice in service delivery where feasible. We will:

  • Offer various payment methods, contact points, opening hours, and delivery times.
  • Use available and emerging technologies to maximise access, choice, and quality of delivery.
  • Continuously explore new ways to enhance customer choice and convenience.


Official Language Equality


We will comply with the minimum requirements for providing services in both official languages. We will:

  • Inform customers of their right to choose to be dealt with through Irish or English.
  • Provide for customers to request services in Irish, and accommodate these requests where feasible. 
  • Endeavour to ensure that written communication received as Gaeilge (in the Irish language) is responded to as Gaeilge.

 

Better Coordination 


We will foster a coordinated approach to service delivery. We will:

  • Work collaboratively with other public service providers to enhance service integration.
  • Share information and resources to improve service efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Engage in partnerships and networks to support coordinated service delivery.


Feedback and Continuous Improvement 


We will actively seek feedback to continuously improve our services. We will:

  • Provide multiple channels for customers to give feedback, including online, by phone, and in person.
  • Engage in meaningful consultation with licensees and other stakeholders on material change that affects them.
  • Hold regular meetings with key representative groups to identify and discuss relevant issues and seek stakeholder views on the relevance and quality of our services and activities.
  • Regularly review our performance against the standards set out in this charter.
  • Make necessary adjustments to enhance service delivery based on customer feedback.


Conclusion 


The IHRB is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and service in Irish horseracing. This Charter is our commitment to improving the experience for all stakeholders, including owners, trainers, jockeys, breeders, racecourses, and the general public. We value your feedback and are committed to ensuring that our services meet your expectations. Please let us know if you have any comments on our services by contacting us through:

Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 1:00PM and 2:00PM to 5:00 PM.