Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will continue with our meeting to discuss the various third level institutions and colleges represented here. The plan is to discuss with Waterford Institute of Technology, Dublin Institute of Technology and the National University of Ireland, Galway, issues concerning their financial statements. We note that none of the three organisations has completed audited or published their accounts for any period since August 2014. The committee is gravely dissatisfied at being presented with information that is at least three years out of date. It reduces the impact of the effectiveness of the reporting structure of those organisations to this committee.

We have invited the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education and Skills back first on this occasion, so that the committee can discuss the whole question of their role in ensuring that this sector operates properly.

Last week, we heard from three other third level institutions. One of their accounts was for the same period, the year ended August 2014. The other two accounts were for 2015. This matter has exercised this committee and the Comptroller and Auditor General. The Comptroller and Auditor General recently published a report on the timeliness of publishing financial statements.

We will start by asking Ms Colette Drinan from the Comptroller and Auditor General's office to comment. Committee members will then have some questions to pose. We believe that it is fine looking at individual colleges, but the idea that year in and year out they can get funding without us seeing sight of the previous year's financial statement is not adequate from our point of view. It should not be adequate from the Department's viewpoint either. We will therefore be asking the representatives to take our views back for action to the Department as a result of this discussion. It is our intention to resume the meeting with Waterford Institute of Technology, Dublin Institute of Technology and the National University of Ireland, Galway, once we have completed this session because of the serious issues we want to discuss. People will see the grave and unacceptable situation in which the committee is placed by being presented with accounts that are three years out of date. We will have to make the best of it today, however. I am saying to every Secretary General and every Accounting Officer that the committee will not again tolerate being presented with information which is three or four years out of date.

I call on Ms Drinan from the Comptroller and Auditor General's office to make her opening remarks.