Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 18 October 2018

Public Accounts Committee

HEA Financial Statements 2017

9:00 am

Photo of Marc MacSharryMarc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There are a few points on a similar subject matter that I would like to put on the record. The matter dates back to June. I will refer to the transcript of that day. On three occasions, December 2015, on which date I would not have been here, June 2017 and June 2018, the Committee of Public Accounts was informed by the president and vice president of CIT that they never received a disclosure before the Act. Dr. Love was alluding to this with Deputy Kelly but I want to go into a bit more detail. On three occasions, they said that. There was reference to an unnamed whistleblower in the context of a letter that came to the vice president. That was eventually admitted.

We know this is nonsense because I have an email from the vice president which was referred to in a Topical Issue debate on this issue by Deputy Kelly, Deputy Cullinane and me. I will read it into the record: "Just to confirm that I have a copy of the letter you gave to [X, who was a head of faculty in the college] dated the 9thof October [This email is dated 12 October 2012] and that I will deal with it." This is from the vice president, the person who told us on three occasions, along with colleagues, that there was no disclosure. It goes on:

I have attached copies of two policies that will guide us in terms of developing an approach when we meet on Tuesday at 6. Please note that the disclosure policy is only in draft currently but I would suggest that we will apply it in this case.

That is the email of 12 October 2012. It would seem to my untrained interpretation to be a clear example of what we would now describe as a disclosure, considering that use of the disclosure policy, albeit in draft format, was suggested by that self-same individual, then vice president, who was responsible for a wide variety of areas and who suggested that no such disclosure took place. That was brought to the Minister's attention in the House on 10 July last and I note there has been correspondence with Dr. Love. What is the HEA's position on this?

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