David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wanted to raise a couple of issues relating to the third level sector. We have put quite a spotlight on this sector and published a report. Subsequently, we had a number of independent - I use that word advisedly - examinations into a number of issues. Outstanding is the Thorn review in Limerick. We have subsequently received new information that was on the front pages of some newspapers at the weekend that the university, potentially, misled the Committee of Public Accounts and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. I want to hear from the comptroller if that is a fact. I do not always believe what I see in the newspapers but I want it clarified at least.

We have two reports which are still outstanding from the HEA on spin-out companies and intellectual property. We were told that the global one looking at policy, governance and whether changes needed to be made was to be published in January but we are now into February and it has not happened. The report on Waterford IT has been with legal advisers since last December and has still not been published. We are waiting for these reports so that the committee can do its work.

There seems to be a lot there but, looking at the work programme, none of it is scheduled up to April. Funding in the third level sector was described as the "wild west" by a committee member before and we were trying to establish whether that was the case, whether good governance was in place and whether improvements could be made. We have done a report, but that was only the start of our work. There are a lot of reports and information we need from the HEA and that is not even to get onto the education and training board for Kildare-Wicklow, which falls under remit of the Department of Education and Skills. We need to give that some attention.

My second point on the work programme is that I have consistently asked for RTÉ to come before the committee. We have just spent the last 15 minutes talking about multinationals that are not compelled to come before the committee. We asked them to do so and they have refused. We have not asked RTÉ to come before the committee even though €170 million of taxpayers' money is given to it. It is one third of the line Department's funding, but the Accounting Officer was not even able to answer basic questions on it when he was before us. I have specific concerns about allegations of bogus self-employment. I have met senior staff in RTÉ who are concerned and persons from a trade union representing journalists to discuss this issue, which appears to be a problem within the organisation.

There is another issue I want the committee to raise which has implications for Revenue. While they are not doing anything wrong, senior broadcasters in RTÉ are availing of the opportunity which is available to them to set up companies into which their salaries, or fees, are paid. That was previously the case with hospital consultants and we dealt with it. That process allows those broadcasters to reduce the amount of tax they pay. They do not pay PAYE or PRSI but rather corporation tax. We saw problems in relation to hospital consultants. Are there similar problems here? I cannot say and I am not making any allegations. It is certainly worth examining as is bogus self-employment.

Another issue people have relates to the €170 million, which was established to be the majority of the money. I ask that this be prioritised. I have raised it gently in the past and I am being a bit more assertive on this occasion. It is important and the issues need to be examined.

On the third level sector, I cannot understand why the reports have still not been published by the HEA. I am getting a little exasperated that we are getting letters from it, including letters sent to me personally from the head of the HEA, stating the reports would be published in January. In fact, they were originally supposed to be published last October but were delayed. While legal may be looking at some elements of some of them, two or three months is an extraordinary amount of time for them to be in the hands of legal within the HEA. Can we follow those up again? Once we know where they are at, we need to come back next week and put a focus on it.

I want to hear from the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General specifically whether it was misled by the University of Limerick rather than to take that second or third hand from a newspaper.