Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Apologies have been received from Deputies Doherty and Matthews.

I welcome members and viewers, who may be watching our proceedings on Oireachtas TV, to the public session of the Oireachtas Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I remind members of the constitutional requirement that the members must be physically present within the confines of the place where Parliament has chosen to sit, namely Leinster House, and-or the convention centre in order to participate in the meeting. I cannot permit a member to participate when not adhering to this constitutional requirement.

The Dáil ordered that the Revised Estimates for public services in respect of the following Votes to be referred to the select committee for consideration: Votes 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 29 and 43. Members are asked to note that the Revised Estimate for Vote 13 will be dealt with at a later separate session at 3.30 p.m.

I welcome the Minster for public expenditure and reform, Deputy Donohoe, and the Minister of State the Department, Deputy Ossian Smyth, and their officials today. I thank them for their time. Members will have received the briefing document provided by the Department, which was circulated in advance. I thank the officials for providing them in a timely manner.

The purpose of today's meeting is to consider the Revised Estimates and the performance information regarding the outputs and the impacts of programmes for expenditure. The programme-based structure of the Estimates should allow the committee to focus on what the Department has committed to achieving in terms of actual outputs and outcomes, consider whether the performance targets included in the Estimates represent a sufficiently completed description of the services provided by the Department and whether those targets strike the right balance in terms of the needs of society, and consider whether the information required by the Department makes clear how the moneys available are allocated between services and whether these allocations are the most appropriate in the circumstances.

I call on the Minister to make his opening statement.