Minister Hanafin lays before the Houses of the Oireachtas the C&AG’s Special Report on the National Educational Welfare Board

The Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin T.D., has laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas a special report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on lapses in internal control at the National Educational Welfare Board.

Minister Hanafin said “this report raises a number of important issues in relation to corporate governance and internal financial control in the National Educational Welfare Board. I am encouraged by the measures taken by the Board to improve its control arrangements since the emergence of this issue.”

The Minister continued “it is evident from the special report that measures were taken by the Board, during the initial stages of its development, to put in place appropriate corporate governance and financial procedures. The report also finds that the Board conducted a number of reviews to establish that the policies, procedures and controls in place were being followed correctly.”

Notwithstanding these initial measures on the part of the Board, the events which are the subject of this special report point to a number of deficiencies in the internal controls of the Board which remained undetected for a time. It should be noted that the events detailed in the special report relate to certain activities that are currently the subject of an investigation by An Garda Siochána as well as civil proceedings on the part of the NEWB.

The Minister went on to say “the National Educational Welfare Board was established to ensure that every child either attends school regularly or otherwise receives an education. The service is a key part of the Government’s programme of social inclusion measures. It is a critical intervention for our young people given the significance of education to provide them with the best opportunities and life chances available to them.

I wish to acknowledge the important role the Board plays and assure them of my continuing support for them in their work.”