Chairman:

I welcome the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, and her officials and thank them for the briefing material supplied to the committee.

I remind members, visitors and those in the Public Gallery that mobile phones must be switched off for the duration of the meeting as they interfere with the broadcasting equipment, even on silent mode. I also remind members of the long-standing parliamentary practice 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.

This meeting concerns the mid-year review of output and expenditure under the Vote for the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation for the year ending 31 December 2016. We will be apprised of the emerging position of that Vote so as to alert us to issues that will be relevant to the 2017 Estimate discussions in advance of the allocations being finalised, as envisaged by the comprehensive expenditure report, 2012 to 2014.

I will refer to the individual programmes in turn and invite questions on each. Questions or points related to the programmes generally can be put after we have gone through the individual programmes. The committee secretariat has provided members with briefing documents including an explanation of the structure and purpose of this meeting and the Department's briefing notes.

I now invite the Minister to make a statement to the committee.