John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Thank you. I welcome Ms Mary Day, chief executive officer, and Ms Caroline Piggot, financial director, of the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital to the meeting. I also welcome Ms Buckley and Mr. Brazel from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

We propose to deal first with the issues relating to the Mater hospital. The witnesses representing the hospital may, if they wish, leave the meeting when we have completed our discussion on that issue. They may find our discussion so riveting they will want to remain. I invite Ms Day to make her opening statement.