‘No evidence’ VEC got permission for HQ lease costing taxpayer €420,000

The Department of Education has said it can find no evidence that Wexford VEC got permission before signing a lease for a new headquarters which has cost taxpayers €420,000.

Inquiries are ongoing to find out what communication took place before the VEC signed a lease to move offices in 2006 when there was still eight years to run on the deal for its old headquarters.

In a letter to the Public Accounts Committee, the secretary general of the department, Sean Ó Foghlú, said the VEC was required to get permission before signing the lease but that there is no evidence of this happening.