David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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122. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a college has ever hired public relations firms with regard to whistleblowers in colleges; if so, the amount spent on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30347/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding as a block grant to the institutions. As autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of this funding, along with any funding it receives from private sources, is a matter for individual institutions and my Department has no role in their day to day operational affairs including the tendering of goods and services it requires.  However, higher education institutions are bound by public procurement procedures in relation to such expenditure.