Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 29 January 2015

Public Accounts Committee

Vote 33 - Department of the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Chapter 9 - Accounting for National Gallery of Ireland Expenditure
Financial Statements of the National Library 2012 and 2013

10:00 am

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

We will now deal with Vote 33 - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, chapter 9 - accounting for National Gallery of Ireland expenditure, and the 2012 and 2013 financial statements of the National Library of Ireland.

Before we begin our proceedings I remind members, witnesses and those in the Visitors Gallery to turn off their mobile phones as they interfere with the sound quality and transmission of the meeting.

I advise witnesses that they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they are to give to this committee. If they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given, and they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against a Member of either House, a person outside the House, or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

Members are reminded of the provisions within Standing Order 163 that a committee should also refrain from inquiring into the merits of a policy or policies of the Government, or a Minister of the Government, or the merits of the objectives of such policies.

I welcome Mr. Joe Hamill, Secretary General of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. I now ask him to introduce his officials.

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