Dáil Éireann díospóireacht - Tuesday, 28 Feb 1995

Written Answers. - VTOS Claims.

Paul McGrath

Ceist:

161 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Education the way in which Westmeath Vocational Educational Committee drew down a sum of £200,000 in excess of the amount expended on claims relating to VTOS projects for 1993, the persons who authorised such claims in Westmeath Vocational Educational Committee. [4315/95]

Paul McGrath

Ceist:

162 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Education the systems and procedures in place whereby vocational educational committees reclaim expenditure incurred in operating the vocational training opportunities scheme; and the persons by whom these claims are submitted on behalf of each vocational educational committee. [4316/95]

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 161 and 162 together.

In the case of pay, both for the scheme as a whole and the VTOS, vocational education committees provide monthly statements to my Department showing actual monthly payments made to date and projected monthly payments for the remainder of the year. The submission of these statements is the responsibility of the chief executive officer. Funding is provided to the vocational education committees on a regular basis throughout the year having regard, inter alia, to the information supplied in the monthly statements. Information on the total actual expenditure incurred by a vocational education committee in the financial year is submitted by the vocational education committee in its annual end-of-year financial statement, V15, and this information is taken into account in providing funding the following year.

Non-pay VTOS funding is provided to vocational education committees by my Department in three moieties. This year the first is being paid in February, and the aim is to pay the others in June and November. Previously they tended to be paid in March, July and December. Up to and including 1993, the first two moieties were based on estimates in the Department, having regard to the number of places approved for vocational education committees.Experience showed this to be unsatisfactory and in 1994 these payments were based on information on the actual number of places filled.

Up to and including 1994, the third and final moiety to vocational education committees was based on a statement due in the Department in October from vocational education committees of the estimated cost for the year. The final payments each year include a provision to enable the vocational education committees to carry on in the following year until they receive their first payment. Adjustments are due to be made the following year for the actual outturn on expenditure each year. For 1995 the vocational education committees have been asked to submit monthly statements of expenditure to date with an estimate for the rest of the year, the first statement being due in March.

Records for County Westmeath vocational education committee show that the vocational education committee received a cumulative surplus of funding by the end 1993 of almost £253,000. The surplus occurred mainly in 1992 and 1993 when payments were made on the basis of the number of sanctioned places and on estimates supplied by the vocational education committee of the likely expenditure for those years. Following an examination of further returns from the vocational education committee the payments were found to be in excess of the actual expenditure.

Taking account of the payments already made in 1992 and 1993, as against actual expenditure, no non-pay funding was provided to the vocational education committee in 1994, whereas the vocational education committee indicates expenditure of £237,390. The amount available to the vocational education committee therefore at the start of 1995 was less than £15,500. The submission of statements by all vocational education committees relating to non-pay payments is the responsibility of the chief executive officers as in the case of pay.