The caveat was: yes, you can develop it, it might be quite a good idea bearing in mind the numbers of people unemployed, taking into account the benefits of travel and language skills involved but it must be done within your budget. On the one hand we saw the educational merits of Westmeath vocational education committee developing a VTOS, implementing some of its course in Montbard in France. However, my Department had to make it clear to the vocational education committee that while educationally we do not have any difficulty with this project it must be done within existing funding. There is an Act governing the funding of vocational education committees within whose provisions Westmeath vocational education committee went ahead, entered into negotiations and purchased a building beyond its statutory powers.
My Department informed that vocational education committee on a number of occasions that it had acted beyond its statutory powers in this and other areas. The outcome was that, while Westmeath vocational education committee was not in any financial position to purchase the building, and did not have the necessary permission to do so, another education authority purchased the building which continues to be used for educational purposes. What gave rise to investigations, the results of which were published and made available, was the fact that Westmeath vocational education committee, in this and other cases, had acted outside of good financial managerial practice and was in no position to pursue the best of ideas because they did not have a penny with which to do so. That was the outcome of the inquiry. As the Deputy will appreciate, since then we have strengthened the financial systems within the overall vocational education committee sector to the extent that I now have confidence that such circumstances will not recur.
