Review questions spending of €200,000 at second-level parents’ council

A draft review into the funding and governance of the organisation which represents parents at second-level schools has questioned more than €200,000 in spending over an 11-month period last year.

Last September the Department of Education awarded a publicly tendered contract for an independent expert, Governance Ireland, to conduct a review of the governance and financial arrangements in the National Parents Council Post-Primary.

The report states that the council – which receives most of its income from State funding – did not engage with the review despite multiple requests by Governance Ireland and the Department of Education.

As a result, it said the review was based on the limited information it was able to access and without the participation of the board.

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The draft review – due to be published shortly – raises queries about travel, expenses and credit card usage and who approved expenditure.

It questioned whether public procurement guidelines had been followed, if there was a formal travel and expenses policy and whether all expenses were vouched or paid on receipts.

It also queried if there was a company credit card usage policy and who managed or authorised it.

Among its other conclusions were that:

• the structure of the organisation no longer provides a representative council for all post-primary schools’ parents’ associations throughout Ireland;
• the structure may have outlived its purpose, its constituencies, its effectiveness and “may no longer be fit for purpose”;
• limited financial data suggested a more forensic financial audit was necessary to assure the funder.

The review recommended that the department suspend further funding until the organisation can demonstrate that all governance and financial arrangements are compliant.

The council said that it rejected the findings, that it represents more post-primary parents’ bodies than ever before, and that its representatives were active in all key areas of discussion.

It said its board members were all volunteers who do not receive any payment for their “dedication and commitment” and a professional secretariat of five personnel was in place.

It said that efforts had been made to undermine the organisation through unwarranted delays and withholding of funding over the past two years.

It also insisted that it had never refused to participate in the review and said the governance at the organisation was “exemplary” and overseen by independent bodies and that all required filings and returns were up to date.

It added that all procurement followed correct practices, overseen by its auditors, and all professional support was independent.

The organisation said some “unknown motive” may have led to the omission of much of this submission, and the contents of the review were out of date and that a majority of post-primary schools had signed up with the organisation.

However, it appeared that “not one parent or organisation” from any of those schools had been contacted.

“Without their inclusions, there can be no fair reflection of view or independent conclusions,” it added.

In a statement, a spokeswoman at the Department of Education said it had an obligation to ensure all exchequer funds are accounted for and that there is transparency in the management of public money.

She said the council’s board had consistently declined to engage with this review process.

“It is an extremely serious matter that a body in receipt of grant payments from exchequer funds, paid by this department, would refuse to engage in such a review,” she said.

On foot of this, the department has suspended further grant payments in breach of its financial oversight obligations.

In order to ensure continuity of support for parents, the Department of Education has formally requested the National Parents’ Council at primary level to extend its remit and support to post-primary parents.