Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 3 March 2015

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government

Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 34 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Revised)

5:10 pm

Photo of Michael McCarthyMichael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This meeting is convened to allow the Dáil Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government to consider in detail the 2015 Revised Estimate, Vote 34 - Department of the Environment , Community and Local Government, and to question the Minister on it.

To bring a more focused, performance-based approach to consideration of the Estimates, the committee secretariat was asked to provide a revised scrutiny process for the three committees.

This is reflected in the briefing material prepared by the committee secretariat for programme A,which is housing. The Department has made considerable additional effort in the limited time available to assist in this regard, and the officials involved deserve to be commended on their contribution. This briefing has sought to focus primarily on performance, specifically departmental target-setting and information and performance related issues arising, and to treat changes in financial allocations as ancillary. Briefing for the remainder of the Estimate reflects the more traditional approach.

The proposed structure for the meeting is in two parts, A and B. Part A is to test the value of the approach that is being piloted. It is proposed that the meeting will consist of an initial session dealing exclusively with issues of performance relating to programme A, which is housing. This is highlighted in the performance-based briefing material and otherwise raised by members. To examine performance effectively, existing Government policy should be taken as a given except to the extent that the committee may consider that some clarification is required. That is part A. Part B, which is the remainder of the meeting, including the supporting briefing material, will follow the traditional format but will include a revisiting of the housing programme if it is necessary.

I welcome to the meeting the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government with special responsibility for housing, planning and co-ordination of the Construction 2020 strategy, Deputy Paudie Coffey, and the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government with responsibility for local community and rural economic development issues, Deputy Ann Phelan, who is also Minister of State at the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Transport, Tourism and Sport with special responsibility for the implementation of the CEDRA report. I also welcome all of the officials from the Departments and thank them for their attendance. I invite the Minister to make his opening statement.

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