Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 29: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he has taken to ensure that unauthorised allowances are not paid to senior staff of third level institutions in the future. [9839/11]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 39: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the third level institutions in the State who paid senior staff unauthorised allowances and from whom the Higher Education Authority is seeking refunds; and the amount of unauthorised allowances paid to each person in each institution. [9838/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 39 together.

In the light of the payment of unauthorised allowances in the university sector, referred to in Special Report No. 75 of the Comptroller and Auditor General and subsequently considered at hearings of the Committee of Public Accounts, the Higher Education Authority is conducting an exercise to determine definitively the amount of unauthorised allowances paid to individual senior staff in each of the universities since 2005. The Comptroller and Auditor General will assist the authority by testing the completeness and correctness of the information supplied by each university and the accuracy of any calculations of excess payment amounts produced. I will inform the Committee of Public Accounts of the outcome of this exercise as soon as it becomes available. My Department has sought and received unequivocal commitments from each university where unapproved allowances were paid that in future it will adhere to the provisions of the Universities Act. In the context of annual reporting arrangements provided for in the code of governance of Irish universities, each university is required to submit an annual statement to the Higher Education Authority affirming that Government policy on pay is being complied with.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 30: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to cap the pay of senior managers in third level institutions at €100,000. [9841/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Government pay policy is not determined on a sectoral basis in isolation. In general, pay policy is determined by the Government on the advice of the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform and having regard to the provisions of the Croke Park agreement as appropriate.