Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the publication of Special Report No. 74 of the Comptroller and Auditor General, which covers a range of areas of education spending. The report is generally positive about the overall merits of the strategic innovation fund, while also highlighting some areas for improvement. A number of relevant measures have already been taken to implement previous similar recommendations of a mid-term evaluation of the fund conducted by the Higher Education Authority. The report is critical of the information on school attendance derived from periodic reporting to the NEWB. Periodic reporting is just one way by which schools report on individual student absence. In many cases, direct referrals are made to an education welfare officer. The NEWB is currently rolling out a programme called a 'New Way of Working', which was piloted in 2009 in an effort to standardise the intervention process and focus on early intervention. A reconfiguration of school attendance and participation services is also under way to achieve improved targeting and collaboration in delivery of services and better educational outcomes for all children. A cost overrun on a capital development at Cork Institute of Technology that was completed in 2005 is also examined. The substantive issue arising has since been addressed in the new public works contract introduced in 2007. An early retirement scheme in FETAC, aimed at reducing numbers in certain grades, is also dealt with. The early retirements were authorised by senior management in FETAC, although they did not have the statutory authority to do so. Legal advice in respect of the recovery or reassessment of unauthorised benefits has been obtained and is being considered. The report identifies issues relating to remuneration and expenses paid to a former director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music. The arrangements entered into with the former director were not approved by my Department and were taken up with the academy when this issue came to light. The salary and contractual arrangements for the post are now in line with comparable publicly funded institutions. Significant changes have also been made by the academy in respect of expenses arrangements which are now in line with public service norms. Finally, the report presents a good factual summary of matters already in the public domain relating to the residential institutions redress scheme.

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