Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to move on to the issue of deficits and I am looking at all the reports before us. Is there a control in terms of governance on the amount a board can have in loans and if it is allowed to have loans at the end of the year, how are they paid for, or what system is used to pay off the loans? Has the Department a limit on what the 16 ETBs can borrow per area? How does it define how much of an overdraft or loan an ETB can have? There is quite a variance in the amount that ETBs owe and the amount they have in loans. What is the criteria for EBTs taking out loans or how does the Department set those criteria?