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

We will proceed to the mid-year review of the 2016 Estimates for Public Services. I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Seán Canney, and his officials. Before we begin, I remind members of the longstanding parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not criticise or make charges against a person or an entity either by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

The purpose of the meeting is to consider the performance of the Office of Public Works with regard to output and expenditure. Essentially, this means evaluating the progress the OPW has made thus far in 2016 in achieving its targets; whether any emerging pressures are likely to have a significant impact; the important areas of spending for the remainder of the year; whether there is likely to be any significant levels of underspending or overspending before the end of the year; and whether any significant policy decisions taken this year will impact on the 2017 Estimate for the Office of Public Works. I invite the Minister of State to make his opening remarks.