Results 3,681-3,700 of 32,837 for speaker:Catherine Connolly

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I see Professor Donnelly nodding. Professor Donnelly talked about a questioning environment. I have been through this a lot in my life, where every time we try to ask questions we are told we are against industry or against progress. I am not. I take exception to that and that type of innuendo. This is a third level institution that is in trouble. It is a going concern. It received a...

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Out of 292. So Professor Donnelly and the Higher Education Authority will appreciate that being one of five out of 292 to receive a qualified audit is serious. At the same time, we have just heard evidence that Waterford Institute of Technology has got €1.5 million out of a €63.9 million sale and Professor Donnelly is nodding that this is perfectly acceptable. By way of...

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I think bigger issues are being exposed here in terms of how universities are being used and our entitlement as people who give huge public funds to third level institutions, albeit not enough, we would get money back for that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: It is a very simple question. Why is there not more return for the taxpayer?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: How do we do that? Could Dr. Love tell me where the HEA has changed its policy?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Can Dr. Love refer me to any report which has looked at this in terms of what the companies are getting, that is, more than €63 million, and what the colleges are getting?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Does it not strike Dr. Love as ironic - the word is inappropriate - that here is a third level institution in trouble with a note on whether it is a going concern but yet there are lots of companies making profits by using intellectual property and knowledge that has been gained as a result of people being public servants in the third level college? Does Dr. Love think that is a bit ironic?...

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I did not ask Dr. Love to make an individual comment; I deliberately stayed general. I referred to one example where one was sold for €63.9 million as a going concern where the institution was struggling. Does Dr. Love not see a particular difficulty there? There are huge possibilities to channel money back into third level from this rather than to companies.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I am not asking that. I am sorry, but I am caught with questions and with time. I have already shared it with Deputy Cullinane. Can I ask Professor Donnelly how many students are in WIT?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: How many are non-EU students?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Approximately 200 out of 8,000. I think the WIT briefing document referred to 50% coming from non-leaving certificate avenues. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Where does that 50% come from?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: There is a figure of approximately 15% for mature students in the briefing document and 8% coming from further education programmes, which is 23%. From where does the other 27% come ?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: There are a lot of those around.

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: There are 10% of students who are registered with the disability office. That seems to be a good percentage but how does that figure register or conform to the targets set by the Waterford Institute of Technology?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: What is the target?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Is that the target?

Public Accounts Committee: 2015 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Waterford Institute of Technology: Financial Statements 2013-2014 (6 Apr 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I will now go back to the accounts that are in trouble and the delay in supplying reports. Is it right that the previous issues around the number of spin-off companies led to the Quigley report?