Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Is that agreed? Agreed. We will hold that over for the next session. We are waiting for something on the Haulbowline site as well.

The next item is correspondence item 1240B from Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General, Department of Education and Skills, dated 19 April 2018, on the audited accounts of Trinity College Dublin for 2015-16. The letter states there was a technical error, which resulted in the accounts not being received in the Department for timely laying before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The correspondent advises that the Department has made arrangements with the Higher Education Authority to strengthen processes regarding the submission of accounts.

We have been given a copy of the University of Dublin financial statements for the year end 30 September 2016. In the document before us today that came from the Department, there is the independent auditor's certificate, which is on pages 15 and 16, signed on behalf of KPMG because the universities have private auditors. They are also audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General and we got, attached to the email from the Secretary General, the Comptroller and Auditor General's audit certificate as well.

Before we note or accept these, I want an explanation as to why the Comptroller and Auditor General's audit certificate is not in the statement submitted by Trinity College Dublin. It has been audited and we regularly see both the Comptroller and Auditor General's audit report and the private audit report. However, just sending it as an attachment to a letter is not satisfactory. It should be part of the published document. Is that a reasonable request Mr. Harkness?