Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 671: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will extend the contract of the chief executive officer of the National Education Welfare Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6245/10]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is established under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 as the statutory body with responsibility for school attendance. The CEO post is provided for under Section 36 of the Act with responsibility to manage and control the administration and business of the Board and is accountable to the Board. The term of appointment for the CEO of the NEWB expires in June 2010. The CEO post, as with all posts in the NEWB and the wider public sector, is subject to the moratorium on recruitment and promotions in the public service. The moratorium applies to the filling of all posts. My Department has already commenced consultation with the Board of the NEWB on arrangements for filling the post and it has commenced consultation with the Department of Finance on the implications of the moratorium on the future of the CEO post. Decisions in respect of this post will be made on completion of these consultations.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 672: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the steps he will take regarding the findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General in respect of the National Education Welfare Board. [6246/10]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is established under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 as the statutory body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework which promotes regular school attendance and tackles the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the Board are to ensure that every child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education.

Special Report No. 8 of the Comptroller and Auditor General published in 2007 dealt with lapses in internal controls at the National Educational Welfare Board. The lapses identified in the Special Report occurred at the earliest phase of the development of administrative structures within the NEWB. Since the publication of the Special Report my Department has taken steps to reduce the risk of similar lapses occurring in the State Sponsored Bodies and Agencies under its aegis in the future. In this regard, my Department issued correspondence to the Bodies under its aegis highlighting the need for the Bodies to ensure, through internal audit and by other means that all necessary controls are in place and that procedures are documented and are implemented in keeping with guidelines on governance for the body. My Department also highlighted the requirement for each agency to be compliant with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, the necessity for the relevant authority to be fully aware of its responsibility with regard to its oversight role in the disbursement of moneys and that the Chief Executive Officer/Director is the person accountable to the Board.

I would like to advise the Deputy that the revised and updated Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies issued to the NEWB in June 2009. The revised code sets out the agreed governance framework for the internal management as well as the internal and external reporting relationships, of commercial and non-commercial State Bodies. My Department has advised the NEWB that the Board is required to comply with the content of the revised code and that all internal procedures should be reviewed and updated as required to ensure compliance with the new provisions in the revised code.