Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are joined again by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, who is a permanent witness to the committee and Ms Colette Drinan, deputy director of audit at the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. We are meeting representatives from the Department of Education and Skills and the Higher Education Authority, HEA, to discuss the Higher Education Authority's financial statements for 2017 and governance arrangements in the Department of Education and Skills and the HEA for the third level sector. The committee has been giving much consideration to matters in the third level sector in the past two years and in July last year published its report on the examination of financial statements in the sector. A key recommendation made in the report was that the committee was of the view that the balance between the Department and the HEA in the financial and governance oversight of the third level sector might need to be reviewed and updated. The committee is of the opinion that the HEA has a key role to play in ensuring the important issues raised in the report will be addressed by each institution.

The committee is also of the opinion that the HEA needs to be empowered and resourced to carry out a greater oversight role effectively.

Dr. Graham Love has been chief executive of the HEA for the past two years and is due to leave the organisation this month. The committee felt it was important to engage with him and the Department prior to his stepping down from the role. While there have been newspapers reports on his resignation and the committee did receive a copy of his resignation letter, our engagement today is not about the personal circumstances of his resignation but, rather, about ascertaining, as per the committee's recommendations on its work, the level of progress made towards the empowerment and resourcing of the HEA to ensure it will have greater oversight of the third level sector. Accordingly, I ask members to keep the focus on the changes to the HEA and the Department's oversight of third level institutions.

We are joined from the Department of Education and Skills by Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General; Mr. William Beausang, assistant secretary; Mr. Tom Gaynor, principal officer, and Ms Stephanie Good, assistant principal officer; and from the Higher Education Authority by Mr. Michael Horgan, chairman; Dr. Graham Love, chief executive; Mr. Neil McDermott, assistant principal officer; Ms Sheena Duffy, assistant principal officer; and Mr. Stewart Roche, management accountant.

I remind members, witnesses and those in the Visitors Gallery to turn off all mobile phones or switch them to airplane mode. Switching them to silent mode is not sufficient because they can still interfere with the broadcasting and recording systems.

By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. If witnesses are directed by it to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity, by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

Members are reminded of the provisions within Standing Order 186 that the committee shall refrain from inquiring into the merits of a policy or policies of the Government or a Minister of the Government or the merits of the objectives of such policy or policies.

While we expect witnesses to answer questions put to them by the committee clearly and with candour, they can and should expect to be treated fairly and with respect and consideration at all times in accordance with the witness protocol.

I invite the Comptroller and Auditor General to make his opening statement.