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

The next item is correspondence received since the meeting of Thursday, 3 April 2014, beginning with correspondence from Accounting Officers or Ministers. There is correspondence dated 31 March from the Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality with follow-up information requested by the Committee of Public Accounts on 13 March 2014. There is correspondence dated 28 March 2014 from the chairman of the Office of Public Works regarding expenditure for unoccupied office space by the Law Reform Commission. There is correspondence dated 31 March 2014 from the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with follow-up information requested at the Committee of Public Accounts meeting of 13 March 2014, to be noted and published. There is correspondence dated 9 April 2014 from the HSE with an update on remuneration paid to senior management of section 38 agencies, to be noted and published.

The next item is individual correspondence. There is correspondence dated 31 March 2014 from the chairman of the Office of Public Works regarding the Jewish Museum, to be noted and a copy sent to Ms Margaret Carroll. There is correspondence dated 31 March 2014 from Ms Deirdre Murphy regarding redundancy from Wexford Local Development, to be noted and a copy forwarded to the Department for a note on the matter. There is correspondence dated 3 April 2014 from the Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality to reply to the issues of concern to Mr. Patrick Kinsella, to be noted and a copy forwarded to Mr. Kinsella.

The next item is correspondence relevant to today's meeting. Correspondence was received on 4 April from Mr. Brian Kerr, chairman of Rehab, regarding attendance at the meeting today, to be noted and published. There is correspondence received from Ms Niamh O'Donoghue, Secretary General of the Department of Social Protection, regarding payments to the Rehab Group, to be noted and published. There is correspondence dated 9 April 2014, received from Eames Solicitors, Smithfield, Dublin 7, regarding Ms Angela Kerins's attendance at the meeting today, to be noted and published. This relates to the inability of Ms Kerins to attend this meeting, which we dealt with last night, and which we will deal with again at the beginning of today's hearing. There is correspondence from 9 April 2014 from Mr. Frank Flannery regarding his attendance at the meeting today, to be noted and published. Again, this relates to today's meeting and we will deal with it when the witnesses are in the room. There is correspondence dated 9 April 2014 received from Mr. Brian Kerr clarifying matters previously raised by the committee, to be noted and published.

The next item is reports and statements on accounts received since 3 April 2014. With regard to the Health Research Board, attention is drawn to note 15 on the financial statement, which discloses non-effective expenditure of €228,552 incurred by the board on rent and associated costs related to unoccupied office space since the beginning of 2009, with €57,138 of this relating to 2012. The accounts are to be noted and we should get a note on what steps are being taken to deal with this non-effective expenditure.

The next item is the work programme and it is displayed on the screens for members. We have asked for a meeting with Road Safety Authority officials.