Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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73. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a copy of Tipperary ETB audit committee minutes in each of the years 2013 to 2016 and to date in 2017. [44329/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Audit committees in Education and Training Boards (ETBs) are established and operate in accordance with the Education and Training Boards Act 2013 and the framework for risk management, accountability, internal control and internal audit as set out in the 2015 Code of Governance for the ETBs. 

The Code provides detailed terms of reference for audit committees including mission, role and function as well as procedures in relation to minutes. The procedures state that the minutes of the audit committee are to be kept securely and are not to be made available other than to members of the audit committee. Accordingly, it would not be appropriate for me to facilitate the request from the Deputy.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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74. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide the board minutes of Tipperary ETB for 2013 and 2014 in view of the fact they are not all available online. [44330/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The publication of board minutes is a matter for each ETB. I have arranged for an official from my Department to contact Tipperary ETB so that copies of board minutes, which are not currently available on-line for 2013 and 2014, can be provided to the Deputy.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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75. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide copies of the employment contract that was signed and dated for all current ETB CEOs. [44331/17]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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83. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a copy of the job description and-or other similar documents that were produced for the first chief executive of Tipperary ETB. [44339/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 83 together.

On the establishment of the ETBs, there was not a sufficient number of posts at the grade of Chief Executive to accommodate all of the existing Chief Executive Officers of the former VECs who had been appointed in a permanent capacity.

A redeployment scheme was used to determine the appointment of Chief Executives to the new Education and Training Boards. A copy of The Arrangements for Redeployment of CEOs of VECs has been forwarded to the Deputy. Given that these posts were filled through redeployment no job specification was advertised for the Chief Executives redeployed to ETBs under this scheme, including in relation to Tipperary ETB. The accountability and functions of a Chief Executive are provided for in the Education and Training Boards Act 2013.

Where Chief Executive vacancies not fillable by the redeployment scheme have arisen, competitions have been conducted by the Public Appointments Service. This has arisen in the following ETBs: Longford and Westmeath, Laois and Offaly, Donegal and Waterford and Wexford. The functions of the Chief Executive as set out in the Information Booklets for these vacancies are also based on the provisions of the Act.

Individual employment contracts are a matter between the relevant ETB, as employer, and the ETB Staff member, as the employee. However, I have forwarded for your information a copy of a template contract for the post of Chief Executive which has been used for Chief Executive vacancies arising after the establishment of the ETBs.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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76. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are special internal audit reports for ETBs between 2013 and 2017; and if he will publish them. [44332/17]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the person or body that is the internal auditors of Tipperary ETB; if the ETB has an in-house team of internal auditors; and if so, the details of same. [44333/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 77 together.

Internal audit for the ETB sector is provided on a shared service basis by the Internal Audit Unit for the ETBs (IAU-ETBs).  The IAU-ETBs is housed for administration purposes in Cavan and Monaghan ETB. However, it is guided in its work, and reports to, a central steering committee which is comprised of external personnel and nominees from relevant stakeholders such as the ETB sector, my Department and SOLAS. The steering committee has an independent chairperson. 

The IAU-ETBs is staffed by a Director and Internal Auditors. Recently the IAU-ETBs conducted recruitment competitions to fill vacancies and increase its complement of auditors. Audit service may also be outsourced from time to time if necessary and appropriate.

Audits are generally conducted by the IAU-ETBs in accordance with a national audit plan which is approved by the steering committee.

It is my understanding that there have been no special internal audit reports for ETBs between 2013 and 2017.

ETBs are also subject to other audits such as ESF funding audits and audit by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.