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

I know that in 2008 and 2010 the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform took up this matter. That Department might be a first port of call to see what progress it has made. The committee can look at what action it took to deal with it. Perhaps it might then revisit Deputy Joe Costello's proposal.

Correspondence, dated Friday, 6 March 2015, has been received from Ms Eileen Creedon, Office of the Chief State Solicitor. It concerns costs borne by the State in cases taken by the special investigations unit of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. This is a holding matter, in respect of which Ms Creedon is going to give us some details. We have a date set for representatives of the Office of the Chief State Solicitor to come before the committee to deal with the issue. It is relevant to the issue of costs and the committee wants to have an understanding of how the office takes cases and the costs that arise.

No. 3B.6 is correspondence, dated Monday, 9 March 2015, received from NAMA. It is a reply on the issue of access to contracts. The correspondence is to be noted and published.

No. 3B.7 is correspondence, dated Friday, 6 March 2015, received from Mr. Tom O’Mahony, Secretary General, Department of Transport, Sport and Tourism on the Kilkenny central access road. The correspondence is to be noted and forwarded to Ms Anne Marie Swift who raised the issue. This is a matter for the local authority to which the committee will forward the correspondence and request a response.

No. 3B.8 is correspondence, dated Wednesday, 11 March 2015, received from Professor Niamh Brennan concerning the DDDA and the Irish Glass Bottle site. The correspondence is to be noted and published. I thank Professor Brennan for her submission and ask Members to take note of it, as it may be of interest to them in the context of today's hearing.

No. 3B.9 is correspondence, dated Wednesday, 11 March 2015, from Mr. Aidan O’Driscoll, Secretary General, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, concerning vacant properties at fishery harbour centres. The correspondence is to be noted and published and a copy forwarded to Mr. Rodney Gillen. We are now in a position to report on the fishery harbour centres.