Watchdog to consider Fine Gael claims on Woods

ALLEGATIONS that former Education Minister Michael Woods deliberately withheld bad news a month before last year’s general election will be considered by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), it emerged last night.

A spokeswoman confirmed that C&AG officials would consider the matter in the 2002 audit of the Department of Education, due in September.

“We haven’t been formerly asked to investigate but our relevant staff are aware of the media coverage and those kind of comments would be taken into account during the course of the normal audit for the department in 2002,” said a spokeswoman, referring to calls for an investigation from Fine Gael.