Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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174. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of education and training boards, ETBs, that are paid up members of an organisation (details supplied); if funds provided to ETBs by his Department are used to pay subscriptions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48013/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Education and Training Boards (ETBs) are funded by my Department via Pay and Non-Pay budget allocations.

Each ETB has a responsibility to ensure that maximum value is obtained from the funding provided to them.  ETBs are afforded considerable flexibility in the use of resources to meet the needs of individual schemes.  

Non-pay covers all items other than pay and certain committed expenses that are provided for separately. To afford flexibility, a block grant is made under the non-pay heading, giving each ETB a high level of autonomy in its management.

My Department has been informed that ten out of sixteen of the ETBs are members of the organisation outlined in the details supplied. My Department does not provide specific funds to ETBs for the payment of subscriptions for the organisation detailed. As outlined above ETBs are provided with a non-pay block grant, the management of which is a matter for each ETB.

It should be noted that ETBs also receive funding from sources other than my Department, for example through self-financing programmes or from other Departments and agencies, most notably for further education and training which is funded by SOLAS.  The annual accounts for each ETB provide detailed information on funding from all sources and how it was used. These accounts, when finalised and audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General, are published on the Oireachtas website.