Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We have agreed to note that other piece of correspondence. I thank Mr. McCarthy for the update on the matter.

There is one more B item, No. R1870 B, from the Secretary General of the Department of Health. It is proposed to consider this in private session. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The next category of correspondence is category C, correspondence from and related to private individuals and any other correspondence. No. R1853 C is from Deputy Catherine Murphy dated 25 April 2023 in relation to information provided by the Department of Social Protection regarding the public services card. Deputy Murphy’s proposal is to request clarification from the Department regarding information provided at a Committee of Public Accounts meeting on 1 December 2022 and related information provided in response to a parliamentary question on 20 April 2023. She is looking for that because there is a clear difference between the answer given at the Committee of Public Accounts by the Secretary General of the Department on 1 December and the reply to the parliamentary question she received recently on 20 April. It is to do with biometric information in relation to the card. Is it agreed that we request clarification from the Department? Agreed.

The next item on our agenda is the work programme. At our next meeting on 11 May, we will engage with the HSE and the Department of Health in relation to the Comptroller and Auditor General's special report on the emergency procurement of ventilators by the HSE and resume our examination of the HSE's financial statements for 2021. We have flagged the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, as an area of interest for this meeting. I propose that we add the Department of Health’s 2021 appropriation account to the agenda as funding to the NTPF is allocated under subhead E3. Is that agreed? Agreed.

On 18 May, we will engage with the University of Limerick in relation to its financial statements for 2021. I remind the committee that the document is available for members to read. The secretary will make it available for anyone who wants to re-read it or has not had the opportunity, new members in particular. On 25 May, we will engage with the Department of Justice to examine its appropriation account for 2021. On 1 June, we will engage with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to resume our examination of its appropriation account. Does any member wish to raise any matters in relation to the work programme? I remind members to flag any areas of interest for our upcoming meetings. That concludes our consideration of the work programme.

The last item on the agenda is any other business. Do any members wish to raise anything? No. We will now go into private session.