Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister for Education and Skills and his officials. Apologies have been received from the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills, Deputy Halligan, who contacted me last night to say that he cannot attend for personal reasons. Members are aware of the ongoing effort by the Houses of the Oireachtas to improve the engagement of Government Departments and public bodies with the committees in terms of how voted expenditure is dealt with. In that context, it has been agreed to hold a mid-year review process of the Department's Estimate - Vote 26 - as well as a consideration of the 2017 expenditure proposals. Briefing documents for today's meeting have been circulated to members.

The purpose of today's meeting with the Minister is to discuss improvements that may be desirable in respect of the performance information included in that Estimate, a mid-year review of the position regarding outputs and expenditure relating to the 2016 Estimate for the Department of Education and Skills and a briefing relating to the emerging position so as to permit the committee to participate in the 2017 Estimates discussions in advance of the allocations being finalised.

I propose that the Vote be examined on a selected programme basis. Members will be called upon to ask questions on the subhead under the relevant programme. Programme A, subhead A6, the special needs assistants scheme, and programme D, subhead D3, capital services - building, equipment and furnishing of primary and post-primary schools - have been chosen for examination. These programmes have been chosen as they contain information that will be useful in illustrating the link between expenditure and performance.

The first part of the meeting will focus on questions relating to programme A, subhead A6, and programme D, subhead D3, relating to departmental performance measures, what it has done to improve these measures and what needs to be done and the mid-year review of the position regarding outputs and expenditure. Following the examination of these programmes, members may wish to address questions to the Minister on administrative subheads, appropriations-in-aid and questions relating to the Vote as a whole. Is that agreed?