Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

365. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will set out in tabular form the names of all State owned or substantially State funded organisations under his Department whose latest accounts laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas are more than one year old, that is, relate to a period ending before May 2012 and more than two years old, that is, relate to a period ending before May 2011. [25020/13]

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

Under the provisions of the 2009 'Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies' a number of bodies under the aegis of my Department are required to lay their Accounts before the House of the Oireachtas. A list of these bodies are:

- Education Finance Board (EFB);

- FÁS;

- Grangegorman Development Agency;

- Higher Education Authority;

- National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA);

- National Council for Special Education (NCSE);

- Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC);

- Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC);

- National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI);

- State Examinations Commission (SEC);

It should be noted that while the accounts may relate to a period prior to May 2012 for certain of the bodies, they are nevertheless in accordance with the requirement of the Code of Practice. The accounts of these bodies are available in the Oireachtas Library and may be available on their website.

In addition the VECs and some higher level institutions are also required to lay their accounts before the Houses of the Oireachtas and these can be found in the Oireachtas Library also.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

366. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will outline any deadlines which exist for the laying of accounts before the Houses of the Oireachtas in respect of State owned or substantially State funded agencies. [24088/13]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

367. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the impact on good governance and transparency that allowing the laying of accounts before the Houses of the Oireachtas in respect of State owned or State funded agencies to take place more than 10 months after the end of the period to which the accounts relate. [24089/13]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

369. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on imposing rules on all State owned or substantially State funded agencies so that they are compelled to lay their accounts before the Houses of the Oireachtas using the same deadlines that apply in the private sector for limited liability corporations. [24091/13]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

370. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason there are substantial delays between the audit of the accounts of State owned or substantially State funded agencies by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the laying of such audited accounts before the Houses of the Oireachtas. [24092/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 366, 367, 369 and 370 together.

Public accountability requires that accounts be produced and audited within a reasonable timeframe. The arrangements for the subsequent laying of documents before the Houses of the Oireachtas reflect this requirement and are consistent with the principles of good governance and transparency.

The requirements for the timely production and submission of accounts of bodies and funds (Circular 4 of 2011) require that accounts of bodies or funds should be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas within three months of their being audited by the C&AG. Departments are responsible for the compliance of all bodies under their aegis with these requirements and are required to ensure that all relevant bodies under their aegis are notified of and fulfil these requirements. The main provisions are as follows:

- The accounts or financial statements of bodies of funds under the aegis of Departments and Offices and audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General should be presented to the sponsoring Department by each body within one month of the audit certificate on the accounts being issued by the Comptroller and Auditor General, together with any report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the accounts.

- Each Department is required to lay the audited accounts of bodies and funds under its aegis before the Houses of the Oireachtas within two months of such accounts being received by the Department, together with any report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the accounts.

- Where a Department must first present these accounts to the Government, Departments are required to do this at the earliest opportunity and in such cases Departments must, in any event, lay the accounts of the body or fund before the Houses of the Oireachtas within three months of their being received by the Department.

- In the case of bodies which must first present their audited accounts at the Annual General Meeting of the body for adoption, the accounts should be sent to the parent Department within one month of the AGM at which the accounts are adopted, and if possible not later than three months after the Comptroller and Auditor General has issued the audit certificate on the accounts.

In the context of the reference to private sector requirements, the reporting timeframes outlined above are shaped by public accountability requirements, taking account of the statutory framework for the production, audit and transmission of accounts. These arrangements are kept under review by this Department, in consultation with the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

368. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will set out in tabular form the names of all State owned or substantially State funded organisations whose latest accounts laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas are more than one year old, that is, relate to a period ending before May 2012 and more than two years old, that is, relate to a period ending before May 2011. [24090/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In response to the Deputy’s question I can confirm that the last Annual Accounts laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas by the Special EU Programmes Body, which is under my remit, was for the year ending 31 December 2011, i.e. more than one year old.

The 2012 Accounts have been prepared and presented to the Body's Audit and Risk Committee. Once this is completed the Accounts have to be audited by the Northern Ireland Audit Office and are then laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas when they are certified by both the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Comptroller & Auditor General.