asked the Minister for Education whether he has any plans to increase funding for private secondary schools in return for an arrangement which would give the Comptroller and Auditor General access to details of the finances of the schools in question as indicated in a newspaper report (details supplied).
Ceisteanna—Questions . Oral Answers . - Private School Financing
28.
: I have no such plans. I would draw the Deputy's attention to the second sentence of my reply to him of 26 June 1980, that "any change in funding arrangements is a matter for consultation with the managerial authorities and would of course, be subject to the approval of the Government".
: Am I to take it that the report was not an accurate one?
: I do not know which report the Deputy is talking about or which part of which report. If they desire such a change my door is open to them, but this must be sanctioned by the Government in the long run.
: I have not the document in front of me but is it not true that the report described the Minister as having offered a new deal to private secondary schools involving more money if they gave the Minister more access to their files and their records involving financial arrangements? Was that an accurate report of what the Minister said at the meeting
: I am sure Deputy Horgan is sufficiently aware of Government and Departmental procedures to understand that at such a meeting proposals are not put to anyone.
: In the aftermath of this somewhat unclear exchange the Minister had with the school interests concerned——
: The answer is that I have not had any such approach.