Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No. 1 on the agenda is the minutes of the meeting of 27 November. Are the minutes agreed to? Agreed. I note that there are no matters arising from the minutes. The minutes of yesterday's meeting will be before the committee at its meeting next week.

No. 3 is correspondence received since the meeting of Thursday, 27 November. No. 3A is correspondence received from Accounting Officers and-or Ministers. No. 3A.1 is correspondence, dated 29 November 2013, from Dr. Ruaidhrí Neavyn, president of Waterford Institute of Technology, regarding further information requested at the meeting of 10 October. The correspondence is to be noted and published.

No. 3A.2 is correspondence, dated 5 December 2013, from Mr. Ray Mitchell, assistant national director, parliamentary and regulatory affairs division, HSE, on foot of further information requested at the meeting of 14 November. The correspondence is to be noted and published.

No. 3B is individual items of correspondence received. No. 3B.1 is correspondence, dated 24 November 2013, from Ms Mary Farrell, Karinya, Johnstown Bridge, Enfield, regarding Headway (Ireland) Limited. The correspondence is to be noted and a copy forwarded to the HSE for a note on the issues raised.

No. 3B.2 is correspondence received on 27 November from an anonymous source regarding Stewarts Hospital in Palmerstown. The correspondence is to be noted and a copy forwarded to the HSE for a note on the issues raised.

No. 3B.3 is correspondence, dated 21 November 2013, from Councillor Paudge Reck, Mulgannon, Wexford, regarding further correspondence related to County Wexford VEC. The correspondence is to be noted and the committee will follow it up with Councillor Reck personally.

No. 3B.4 is correspondence, dated 26 November 2013, from Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General, Department of Education and Skills, regarding the Institute of Technology, Tralee. The correspondence is to be noted.

No. 3B.5 is correspondence, dated 22 November 2013, from Ms Anne Nolan, Montenotte Park Residents Association, regarding concerns about the use of funds allocated for school buildings. The correspondence is to be noted.

No. 3B.6 is correspondence, dated 3 December 2013, from Mr. Ray Mitchell, assistant national director, parliamentary and regulatory affairs division, HSE, regarding St. Catherine's special school. The correspondence is to be noted and published.

No. 3B.7 is correspondence, dated 2 December 2013, from Mr. John O'Brien regarding an outline submission by the FCPS on the penalty points issue. The correspondence is to be noted. Mr. O’Brien has requested to make an oral submission to the committee. We are scheduled to commence the examination of the penalty points issue on 23 January 2014. We can use the material Mr. O'Brien has given to us as it is relevant to the issue of weaknesses in controls. It will be a matter for the committee to invite him to make an oral submission once we have concluded the examination of the issue with the Accounting Officer.

I want to return to No. 3B.5, correspondence, dated 22 November 2013, from Ms Anne Nolan, Montenotte Park Residents Association, regarding concerns about the use of funds allocated for school buildings. There is a clear conflict between the residents association and the Department. While the core issue is whether there is a need to build a school, the Committee of Public Accounts can only examine issues where the Comptroller and Auditor General has produced a report on an issue. This matter warrants further investigation and the Comptroller and Auditor General is free to examine it in the context of his audit of the Appropriations Account of the Department of Education and Skills. I will ask the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection to examine the matter in more detail as it falls within its remit.

No. 3B.8 is correspondence, dated 6 December 2013, from Mr. William Treacy regarding the lack of investigation by the Committee of Public Accounts and the Comptroller and Auditor General of animal welfare issues. The correspondence is to be noted.

No. 3B.9 (a-d) is correspondence received on 9 December from Mr. Lar Bradshaw regarding correspondence to the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Committee of Public Accounts further to meeting the Committee of Public Accounts on 26 June. The correspondence is to be noted. It is relevant to today’s meeting. It is not a matter for the Committee of Public Accounts to amend a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General who is entirely independent of the committee. The committee will issue a report at the conclusion of its examination of the DDDA. The issue raised by Mr. Bradshaw can be dealt with in that report. As regards the issue of the circulation of draft reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General, again, given the independence of his office, the issue is not one for the committee.

No. 3C is documents relating to today's meeting. No. 3C.1 is correspondence received on 12 December from Mr. Paul Maloney, former chief executive officer of the Dublin Docklands Development Agency, regarding his opening statement which we will hear shortly. The correspondence is to be noted and published.

No. 4 is reports, statements and accounts received since the meeting of 27 November. No. 4.1 is the annual report and accounts 2011 of Leitrim County Enterprise Board. There is a clear audit opinion in respect of all county enterprise boards. Members can read the remainder of the reports that have been published. The accounts are noted.

No. 5 is the work programme which is on screen.