45.— (1) An education and training board shall establish—

(a) a committee to examine and report to that board on financial matters relating to the board (in this Act referred to as a “finance committee”), and

(b) a committee to assist the board in discharging its internal audit functions (in this Act referred to as an “audit committee”).

(2) The Minister may by direction make provision in respect of all or any of the following matters concerning a committee established under this section—

(a) procedures governing the number, appointment and removal of members (including the chairperson) of the committee,

(b) the holding of meetings, including the frequency and conduct of those meetings, and

(c) the preparation of reports by the committee and the furnishing of those reports to other specified persons.

(3) A committee established under this section shall report to the education and training board which established it not less than 4 times in each year.

(4) A member of staff of an education and training board, or a chief executive of that board, shall not be a member of a committee established under this section.

(5) Subject to subsection (6), a chief executive or a member of staff of an education and training board shall, when requested to do so by a committee of that board established under this section, attend at a meeting of that committee.

(6) A chief executive or member of staff referred to in subsection (5) shall not attend the meeting referred to in that subsection where the chief executive or member of staff concerned believes that attendance by him or her is inconsistent with the due performance of his or her functions as chief executive or member of staff, as the case may be.

(7) An education and training board shall determine what action, if any, it should take as a result of the findings of a report of a committee established under this section.