Mr. Robert Watt:

I imagine that it is the responsibility of the CEOs of the universities and institute of technology presidents, namely, the leadership of the institutions, to be accountable to the boards that are established and that they would have proper procedures and audit committees to ensure public money and other moneys, because in most cases a large proportion of their funding is not from the Exchequer. In Trinity College now it is almost half and half Exchequer and non-Exchequer, and the ratio has changed for other institutions.

I presume that, in the first instance, it is a question of the leadership of those institutions having proper governance structures and audit committees to ensure that money is spent appropriately and that the HEA receives proper assurances that those structures are in place. Someone on Marlborough Street cannot ensure that every pen is accounted for properly. Instead, people can ensure that there are proper structures in place to govern how moneys are spent. I can raise the matter with the Secretary General, Mr. Ó Foghlú, and ask him about the arrangements that are in place. I am not familiar with them, but there are service level agreements between the HEA and bodies. Money is dispersed to achieve various public policy objectives. I can check exactly what the position is. The Comptroller and Auditor General might know, but I presume that, at a minimum, they have audit committees. These are large institutions with large budgets.