Public Inquiries

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 January 2016

Thursday, 28 January 2016

Ceisteanna (332)

Lucinda Creighton

Ceist:

332. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set down in tabular form the number of tribunals of inquiry, commissions of inquiry or investigations for which she or her Department have been responsible, by name, by terms of reference, by cost, including the cost to date where an inquiry has not been concluded and by date, including the projected date of conclusion where an inquiry has not been concluded from 1991 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3780/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

Details of statutory inquiries for which my Department has been responsible since 1991 are included in the following table. In the time available, it was not possible to include full details to cover the Deputy's question for the time period in question. I will arrange to forward the outstanding information to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Name	Terms of Reference	Cost	Completion Date
Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse	The Terms of Reference are set out in the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Act, 2000, as amended by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (Amendment) Act, 2005.  The main functions were to listen to those who suffered abuse as children in institutions, to inquire into abuse of children in institutions and to report and made recommendations.	€79,936,615.60 from Exchequer funds to date	The Commission is expected to conclude its work in 2016.
Statutory Inspection of companies providing services to Waterford Institute of Technology.	The terms of reference of the statutory inquiry, pursuant to Section 20 of the Institutes of Technology Acts, 1992-2006, were: (a) to inquire into the following matters and their possible impact on the governance, operations and financial position of Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT): (i) the relationship, including the financial relationship, between the Institute and the range of companies providing campus services in WIT; (ii) the financial position of these companies including the nature and extent of their assets and liabilities as they relate to operations in WIT; (iii) utilisation of resources of the companies including the extent to which they were applied for the purposes of the Institute; (iv) options for addressing changes that may be considered desirable in the relationship between the Institute and the companies in line with best practice; (v) any and all other matters which the Inspector considers to be necessary or expedient to the carrying out of the terms of reference at paragraphs (i) to (iv) above. and (b) to provide an interim report to the Minister within one month and a final report as soon as possible thereafter on his inquires and in that report to make such findings and recommendations as he considers appropriate.	€1316.46	June 2013
Statutory Inspection into certain matters relating to the operation and management of Tralee Institute of Technology	The terms of reference of the statutory inquiry, pursuant to Section 20 of the Regional Technical Colleges Act (1992) were: (a) to inquire into the following matters, in respect of the Institute of Technology, Tralee:- (i) the working relationship between the Governing Body and the Director; (ii) how the respective roles of Governing Body, Chairman of the Governing Body and Director are being carried out and whether the manner in which the roles are carried out is consistent with effective management and operation of the Institute; (iii) the implementation by the Institute and the Governing Body of directions and guidelines on the operation of the Institute, issued by me or my Department, with particular regard to directions and guidelines relating to staff appointments and courses of study; (iv) any and all other matters which the Inspector considers to be necessary or expedient to the carrying out of the terms of reference at paragraphs (i) to (iii) and which relate to the efficiency of instruction given in the Institute or the efficient operation of the institute. and (b) to report to me on his inquires and in that report to make such findings and recommendations as he considers appropriate	Not Available	March 2001
Statutory Inspection – Letterkenny Regional Technical College	The terms of reference of the statutory inquiry, pursuant to Section 20 of the Regional Technical Colleges Act (1992) were: (i) the manner in which the College and the Governing Body implement the instructions and guidelines on the operation of the College issued by me or by my Department, particularly in the areas of staff appointments and courses; (ii) whether the respective roles of the Chairman of the Governing Body and Director are being carried out in a manner consistent with the letter and spirit of the Regional Technical Colleges Act, 1992; (iii) the effectiveness of financial controls set by the Department and their implementation in the College; (iv) the disbursement of monies by the College and in particular, of monies received from students as capitation sums; (v) the current difficulties being experienced in the working relationships between the Governing Body and the Officers of the Students’ Union, I so far as these difficulties affect the operation and good management of the College; (vi) the selection procedures for student representatives on the Governing Body; (vii) any and all other matters which the Inspector in the course of her enquiries considers to be relevant to the satisfactory completion of her inspection and report and which relate to the efficiency of instruction given in the College or to the efficient operation of the College.	Not available.	July 1994