WEXFORD VEC SPENDS OVER 420,000 EURO ON BUILDING IT DIDN’T USE
It’s emerged Wexford VEC spent over 420-thousand euro of taxpayers money to rent a building it didn’t use.
The revelations were made at the Public Accounts Committee.
Details of correspondence from the Department of Education to the committee were outlined by Fine Gael TD Kieran O’Donnell which stated Wexford VEC moved to a new building on the 1st of July 2006 and left an existing building.
The old building was costing them over 67-thousand euro a year in rent and had a lease of eight years.
He said they initially let the office from July 2006 to June 2008 and then could not secure a tenant so a portion of it was sub-let from 2012 to October 2014.
In total between 2006 and 2014, they took in almost 120-thousand euro, yet the rent of the premises that they paid to a landlord was 540-thousand which meant over 420 thousand of taxpayers’ money was lost.
Department of Education Secretary General Seán Ó Foghlú said the VEC was required to seek approval for the arrangement, but the department has not been able to find this record and it is checking.
