Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have a quorum and the committee is now in public session. We are joined by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, a permanent witness to the committee, who is accompanied today by Mr. John Riordan, deputy director of audit. Apologies have been received from Deputy Alan Farrell.

The first item on the agenda today is the minutes of the meeting of 25 October. Are they agreed? Agreed.

The next item is matters arising from the minutes. I do not think there is anything specific there. Is it agreed to move on? Agreed.

The third item is correspondence received since the last meeting. There is some correspondence to be dealt with and we will move through some of it as quickly as possible. I will say at this stage that before we go into public session with the Comptroller and Auditor General followed by the Department of Finance officials, I wish to go into private session for a couple of minutes for one or two items of the correspondence that I do not wish to put on the public record at this stage. There will be a few minutes in private session at that point.

Under the third item, correspondence received, there are three categories of correspondence. Category A deals with today's meeting. The first item is 170A. It is the opening statement of the Department of Finance officials. Is it agreed to note that? Agreed.

The next item of correspondence is under category B, correspondence from Accounting Officers or Ministers following up on previous meetings. The first item under category B is 162B, a letter from Mr. Oliver Ellingham, NAMA board director, providing clarification on the board minute of the 13 March 2014. Members may recall a reference to a typo. It is good to note that this has been corrected. Can we agree to note and publish that? Agreed. We will also add it to our Project Eagle folder.

The next item of correspondence is 130B(i) to (iv), correspondence received from the HSE following up on an outstanding matter from their appearance before the committee in July of this year. As well as four attachments, there was a large number of documents provided on a USB relating to Console. The secretariat is in touch with the ICT department here in the Houses of the Oireachtas about the best way of making these available to members over the next week. Can we note the correspondence for now? We will have engagements with the HSE in the new year and members can review all of the documents in preparation for the meeting at that stage. Is that agreed? Agreed.