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

I read the Comptroller and Auditor General's report last night. There was complete dysfunction in governance and oversight control. Everybody was asleep at the wheel. We cannot talk about what happened as we have been warned it is not allowed, but there are issues and concerns. Where was everybody when this was happening? It seems to have been controlled by individuals and executives. Where was the Department of Education and Skills, the Secretary General, the governing board and the audit committee while all this was happening? Somebody has to answer questions. There was the Thorn report and the witnesses are telling us today that everything is hunky-dory, they have learned their lessons and nothing will ever happen again from now on. How can we assure the public that this is not happening elsewhere? There are many ETBs around the country. Can the Secretary General comment on that? The witnesses used lovely words, referring to robust governance, regime codes, policies and tools to support good governance, but where were those words in the last few years?