Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This meeting has been convened to consider the Supplementary Estimate for Vote 32 - Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, which was referred by the Dáil to the committee on 24 November with an instruction to report back to the Dáil not later than 8 December 2016.

I welcome the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, the Minister of State, Deputy Pat Breen, and their officials to the meeting. I thank them for the briefing material provided which has been circulated to the members. Based on the information, the secretariat prepared a briefing document which has been circulated to members and the Department. The financial scrutiny unit of the secretariat will be contacting members shortly to carry out a quick questionnaire on the Supplementary Estimate process.

I propose that the following arrangements apply to the debate. The Minister will make a brief address to the committee to be followed by the Minister of State, after which we can then consider the subheads relevant to the Supplementary Estimate. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I remind members that in accordance with Standing Order 184, the discussion must be confined to the items contained in the Supplementary Estimate. Subheads A8, A14 and B4 to B6, inclusive, will receive additional capital funding if the Supplementary Estimate is approved by the Dáil. Subheads A2, A5, A7, A10 and A13, subheads B2 and B8, and subheads C2, C3, C7, C8 and C12 are the subheads from which savings from the initial Estimate have been made. Members should confine their discussion to these subheads. A page highlighting the relevant subheads have been circulated to members. I ask members to indicate the number of the subhead to which they are referring and the page in the Department briefing, if relevant, when contributing.

I invite the Minister to begin.