Third-level bosses face grilling

Third-level bosses face a severe grilling by TDs over gaps in their evidence to the Dáil Public Accounts Committee about financial affairs.

The PAC is seeking legal advice about its powers in relation to what it believes was misleading evidence to it, including details about severance payments to two former staff at University of Limerick, who were rehired on a consultancy basis.

The payments are among issues to be examined by an independent review ordered this month by Education Minister Richard Bruton into governance, and financial and human resources matters at UL. Former Institute of Technology Sligo president Richard Thorn this week asked for anybody with concerns on issues at UL to contact him in confidence, as his inquiry begins.