andMr. Mitchell asked the Minister for Labour, in relation to AnCO and CERT (a) the amount, percentage of its total budget and conditions regarding the expenditure of moneys received by it from non-Exchequer sources and (b) the extent to which he is answerable to the Oireachtas for its activities.
Written Answers. - Departmental Bodies.
242.
(a) AnCO: £11,198,000 representing 50.9 per cent of An Chomhairle Oiliúna's non-capital budget and £722,000 representing 21.9 per cent of An Chomhairle's capital budget is received from non-Exchequer sources.
All AnCO expenditure is governed by the Industrial Training Act, 1967.
CERT: £600,204 representing 47.1 per cent of its total budget is received from non-Exchequer sources. The bulk of this income (45.8 per cent) comes from the European Social Fund.
The moneys received from the European Social Fund are in respect of specific programmes submitted and approved by the European Commission before the commencement of the activities. The grants paid are based on actual expenditure incurred and are subject to scrutiny by ESF auditors.
(b) The chairman and 13 ordinary members of the Council of An Chomhairle Oiliúna (AnCO) are appointed by the Minister for Labour. Two of the ordinary members are appointed as representatives of the Minister for Labour.
The Minister for Labour is answerable to the Oireachtas for the activities of AnCO in that he is required by the provisions of the Industrial Training Act, 1967—sections 14 and 15—to have copies of the AnCO Annual Reports and Audited Accounts laid before each House of the Oireachtas.
As AnCO receives a grant-in-aid from the Exchequer through the Department of Labour Vote, the activities and performance of that organisation are discussed in the Oireachtas in the context of the debate on the Estimates for that Department.
The Council for Education, Recruitment and Training for the Hotel, Catering and Tourism Industries (CERT, Ltd) was established on 7 November 1963 under section 5 of the Tourist Traffic Act, 1952, and was incorporated under the Companies Acts, 1908 to 1959 and 1963, as a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital. The directors of CERT are required to keep true accounts of all moneys received and expended by CERT and to submit those accounts annually for examination by auditors approved by the Minister for Labour. A copy of the certified accounts and auditors' report must be presented to the Minister each year.
The council of CERT is appointed by the Minister for Labour, after consultation with Bord Fáilte. The Minister is represented on the council.
As CERT receives a proportion of its income from the Exchequer through the Department of Labour Vote, the activities and performance of that organisation are discussed in the Oireachtas in the context of the debate on the Estimate for that Department.