Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the Estimates for the Office of Public Works, Vote 13, for the year ending 31 December 2015, I welcome Ms Clare McGrath, chairperson of the OPW. Ms McGrath is accompanied by Mr. Mick Long, accountant and Mr. Tony Smyth, director of engineering services.

On part 1, structure and purpose of the meeting, there have been ongoing efforts within the Oireachtas committees to improve the way that committees and members engage in the budget and Estimates process. In order for committees to fulfil their responsibilities and hold Departments and public bodies to account for how they spend public money, the quality of information that committees receive needs to improve. A number of committees, through their secretariats, have been in communication with several Departments and public bodies, including the OPW, over the past number of months to look at ways in which spending can be tied more closely to output targets and long-term outcomes. Committees need to be able to assess how public bodies are performing. The OPW is to be commended in how it has engaged with this conversation with the secretariat over recent months and also on its willingness to examine the type and quality of information it makes available to the committee.

There are two key parts of today's meeting. Part 1 will allow members to discuss how the OPW measures performance, what it has done to improve these measures and what needs to be done in future. Part 2 concerns the mid-year view of the position as regards outputs and expenditure in regard to the OPW Vote for the year ending 31 December 2015 and the emerging position for that Vote. They will alert us to issues that will be relevant to the 2016 Estimates discussions in advance of the allocations being finalised as envisaged by the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012-2014. As in the case across a number of committees, I propose that at a further meeting the joint committee may agree a report on the outcome of our deliberations today and lay it before the Houses.

Members have been circulated with a briefing document for today's meeting. The format of the meeting will be that Ms McGrath will make some opening remarks which will be followed with a question and answer session dealing first, with performance measures and then a second round of questions on the spending figures.

I remind members, visitors and those in the Visitors Gallery that mobile telephones must be switched off. I advise the witnesses that, by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. Witnesses are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Members are reminded of the long-standing ruling of the Chair to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I ask Ms McGrath to make her opening statement.