Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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96. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the recent change in position with regard to funding for an organisation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5250/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The voice of parents and that of children and young people is of critical importance to me as Minister and to my Department in all of our work.  To assist with this, my Department provides funding to ensure that parents and students are supported to have national representation.

Since 1985, the National Parents Council post primary (NPCPP) has been the organisation recognised as representing parents at post primary level and funding was provided to them in this regard.  For example, in 2020 we provided €205,000.

My Department has an obligation under the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circular 13/2014 to ensure that all Exchequer funds are accounted for and properly managed and that there is transparency and accountability in the management of public money. There is a responsibility on the part of any organisation in receipt of public funding to demonstrate good governance.

My Department engaged with representatives of the Board of the National Parents Council Post Primary in May 2022 and discussed an independent governance review.  Draft terms of reference for the review were discussed and subsequently shared with the Board for input at that time.  Following a publicly tendered procurement process an external company, with considerable experience of governance and related issues, was contracted to conduct a review of the governance and financial arrangements applying in the National Parents’ Council Post Primary (NPCPP) and to make observations and recommendations on foot of same.  

The NPCPP’s Board consistently and repeatedly declined to engage with this review process.  The review therefore proceeded using publicly available information, including from the Companies Registration Office. A final draft was shared by the reviewer with the NPCPP for comment three weeks ago.  The reviewer has advised that no comment has been received to date. Throughout this process, my Department has sought to engage with the NPCPP, including offering meetings, but these offers have not been availed of.

Given the non-co-operation with the external review several months after the Department met Board representatives to discuss the need for same, the Department concluded that to make any further grant payments at this point in time would be a breach of its obligations to protect Exchequer funding and formally notified NCPPP of its decision to cease provision of funding.  It did however offer to pay for any outstanding appropriate costs.

The Education Act 1998 Section 2 refers to recognition of ‘national association of parents’ and in order to ensure clarity for the NPCPP and others, the Department also advised the NPCPP that it is no longer a body recognised under this Act.  The Department has requested another established body to take the role on, on an interim basis, subject to review and further consideration in the coming months.  Parent Councils or associations in schools are not impacted by this decision.

The Department sincerely regrets the situation which has now arisen directly as a result of the actions of the Board of the NPCPP.

As I have briefly mentioned already, in order to ensure continuity of support for parents and their continued input into policy making, my Department has formally requested the National Parents’ Council Primary to extend its remit and provide representation and support to post-primary parents with immediate effect. This arrangement will be subject to review and further consideration in the coming months. 

The Department continues to work with the independent reviewer as the governance review is finalised and remains available to NPCPP as indicated in correspondence.