Dispute overshadows last Cork VEC meeting

The last ever meeting of County Cork VEC will take place today under the shadow of a dispute regarding an allegation that it covered up controversies.

The acting chief executive of the CCVEC, Joan Russell, wrote to the former chairman of its audit committee, Humphrey Deegan, asking him for a written account of his claims of a cover up.

At last month’s meeting the committee resolved to have Cllr Deegan detail his concerns in writing so they can be addressed at today’s meeting.

Otherwise it said he should withdraw them.

Mr Deegan has not responded to Ms Russell’s request and said he has instead been in direct communication with the Department of Education.

“I am standing over my statements. I have been in contact with the secretary general of the Department of Education who asked me to forward my concerns to him. I have done this and I am awaiting a response.

“I have been asked by the acting CEO to provide a written statement but I believe it was inappropriate, it should have come from the chairman and I should have been given copies of the minutes where this decision was taken,” he said.

The department has already slapped down a request by the members of CCVEC to have Mr Deegan removed from the committee.

This happened after he blew the whistle on a number of corporate governance issues and financial problems within the organisation.

These have triggered root and branch reviews of CCVEC by the department, the Comptroller and Auditor General, and the Revenue Commissioners.

Today’s meeting will be the last gathering of CCVEC before it is disbanded and replaced by the amalgamated Cork Education and Training Board on Jul 1.