Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It was an e-mail sent during the summer. We will note it and move on.

Correspondence 72C is a letter from Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills on the lateness in the laying of audited accounts of An Chéim, a body providing shared services to institutes of technology, which is being wound down. That is why we are late receiving the accounts. We have taken the step to write to the parent Departments of all bodies that have not had accounts laid before the Houses within the required timescale. Is it agreed to note that? Agreed.

The next item is a letter from Mr. Gerard O'Leary, director of the office of environmental enforcement at the Environmental Protection Agency. Mr O'Leary provides an update on a matter raised by an individual relating to dumping on his land in County Meath. I propose we forward a copy of this correspondence to the individual in question. Is this agreed? Agreed. Correspondence 78C is a letter from an individual on the difficulties with Roscommon County Council regarding two adjacent grave spaces and planning permission. As this has to do with a local authority, it does not fall within the remit of the committee. I propose that we write to the individual suggesting that she contact the county manager or chief executive officer directly or appeal to the Ombudsman if she is not happy with the decision of the council. The person may also check whether it is a planning issue with An Bord Pleanála. As the communication seems to point to customer service concerns, I propose we direct her in that matter. Is this agreed? Agreed.

The next item on the agenda relates to statements and accounts received since our last meeting. They are on the schedule and we can just note each of them. They are the Health Information and Quality Authority 2015 clear audit report, the Credit Institutions Resolution Fund clear audit report, the Labour Relations Commission clear audit report up to 30 September 2015, the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority clear audit report, the Equality Authority clear audit report, the Human Rights Commission clear audit report and the Church of Ireland College of Education teacher training college report. Attention is drawn in that report to the deferred pension funding, which is normal for third level colleges. It is a standard reference in the audit report for that issue.

The next report relates to An Chéim Computer Services Limited, with the accounts covering 2011 to 2014, inclusive, and to August 2015. That organisation is now being wound down, leading to a delay. They were clear audit reports but some of them were very late coming. There is also the audit report for St. James's Hospital board. There is a note from the Comptroller and Auditor General indicating that all the testing of purchases in 2015 found that 1.6% of the expenditure examined related to goods and services where previous contracts had expired and had not subsequently been put to tender. Overall expenditure in such goods and services in 2015 amounted to €903,000. Here we go again. It is a common theme and it is something we will return to on another day. The last set of accounts laid since the last meeting relates to the local loans fund relating to the making of loans to local authorities. Again, it is a clear audit report. We note all those and if a member has a query about them, he or she is free to look up the accounts and raise any matter at a subsequent meeting.

A copy of our work programme has been circulated to members. This includes a series of planned extra dates in order to allow us to examine the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on Project Eagle more fully. Some of these are not yet confirmed. Most of these extra days will be on a Tuesday morning and where possible will begin a little later in order to facilitate members travelling to Dublin. These may be scheduled for 9.30 a.m. or 10 a.m. Does anybody wish to comment on the work programme? It is a draft and we can discuss it at the end of the meeting to see where we are going with possible dates. We have meetings scheduled in any event with representatives of the Department of Social Protection. We will have our normal Thursday meetings as well. The Minister for Finance will be before us next Thursday and after that we will have the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social Protection.

I might ask the Comptroller and Auditor General to comment on his annual report with respect to the 2015 audits, as it would normally be issued at this time.