Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I think the term used was "regulation" but I will not quibble with the Chairman over that. While I understand the idea of benchmarking best practice and giving a bualadh bos to Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board which appears to be doing things right, I am not sure it is the most useful investment of our time because ultimately the committee is an accountability platform. While acknowledging good things, good practice and successes, we are it, as the Chairman correctly stated, when it comes to malpractice. I understand Mr. Sean Ashe, the chief executive officer of Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board, is planning to retire. Given what has happened a million times previously, I am anxious, when we pursue lines of questioning about the internal procedures of an organisation or entity, that we will not be told, "I do not know about that because I was not there." I do not want us to walk slam dunk into that scenario again. I am aware that the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, has appointed someone to carry out an investigation. This should not preclude us from inviting the chairman and chief executive officer of Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board to present themselves to the committee.

It would be odd, to say the least, if we have Kilkenny and Carlow ETB in this module, which seem to have done things very right, while we do not have those organisations that seem to have issues that we need to examine, which is a matter of public commentary and anxiety now.