Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I hoped we would have a scoping discussion about whether the shape of information is that which is of use to the Deputy or whether it should be in a different format. On my horizon in terms of time, I have four pieces of legislation currently before the Oireachtas. I do not mind providing a report to the committee and then, when I am available, coming in to do that in some detail.

There are two points in terms of the scoping that I mentioned in the beginning. The first is what sort of data is digestible and appropriate. The second is that I am jaundiced about trespassing upon other Cabinet Ministers or other committees. For example, I certainly do not want to drill down into the current expenditure of the Minister for Health, the Minister for Social Protection or the Minister for Education and Skills. They should be followed individually in their own line committees. We need a protocol and broad-strokes understandings about what exactly we can do on this. In general, it would refer to who is on target and who is not and on which the committee might provide a minute to the appropriate committee thereafter.