Teachers overpaid, ineligible students awarded allowances, massive budget over-runs, and staff being paid off the books are just some of a series of damning findings of an internal audit of one VEC Youthreach project.
Youthreach is an education scheme for people who leave school early. The catalogue of "control weaknesses" identified by the audit of the Macroom Youthreach project could surpass €200,000.
The audit was ordered by former County Cork VEC chief executive Barra Ó Briain following concerns about the centre that were raised in an earlier probe.
The audit found that:
* The VEC overpaid 1,070 untimetabled tutor hours. The overpayment could be as high as €60,000 for 2009-2010.
* A rapist who posed as a taxi driver to assault a woman in Manchester was hired to drive pupils to and from the centre without having his background checked.
* €25,000 may have been overpaid to teachers for non-tuition work.
* Allowances were paid to people not eligible to take part in the project, and some staff were paid from non-staff budget funds.
* The project paid four participants higher travel allowances for transporting other pupils to the centre in their cars.
* The VEC was paying motor tax and insurance for a bus it did not own.
* Some staff were recruited outside normal procedures. Some were paid without deduction of PAYE or PRSI.
The findings of this audit were just some of a series of problems uncovered in an Irish Examiner investigation into County Cork VEC. This discovered issues in Macroom, Ballincollig, Fermoy, Bantry, and Glanmire.
The Macroom audit said CCVEC had been placed at a "significant risk due to the non-adherence to normal procedures". There was no suggestion that any person or staff member improperly or personally benefited from the weaknesses.
The audit said CCVEC’s failure to implement recommendations made in a 2008 audit added to the Macroom project’s problems.
Last September, the chair of CCVEC’s audit committee, Clonakilty town councillor Humphrey Deegan, resigned after his requests to meet with the internal auditor were turned down.
He later forwarded the audit to the Department of Education and the Public Accounts Committee.
This Thursday, CCVEC will appear before the PAC to explain its handling of the Macroom audit and other significant losses of money.
Many of the problems related to a period when the now retired Macroom Youthreach co-ordinator, Bev Cotton, was in charge.
The auditor said Mr Cotton had not co-operated with the inquiry, so the issues raised could not be put to him for clarification.
Department secretary general Brigid McManus told the PAC that after Mr Cotton went on sick leave, he refused to accept or respond to correspondence.
Mr Cotton declined to speak to the Irish Examiner.
Joan Russell, acting chief of CCVEC, declined to discuss the audit contents, but said issues within it required clarification, and the clarification was being sought on behalf of the committee.
"These procedures are governed by due process and compliance with corporate governance. CCVEC is following procedure and there will be a further meeting of the audit committee, which will in turn report to the full committee."
Picture: Macroom Youthreach centre pictured was the subject of a devastating report sent to the Public Accounts Committee
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, February 06, 2012
