Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are now back in public session. We will continue our discussion with Dublin Institute of Technology and the Grangegorman Development Agency. I apologise for the late start. An issue arose regarding the late submission of financial statements. This applied, to some extent, to the organisations before us. We want every organisation which appears before the committee to have its accounts for 2016 completed and sent for audit by 30 June 2017. We ask the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General to have the audit completed when meetings resume in September after the summer break.

The Grangegorman Development Agency was established in 2006 by the Government to redevelop the former St. Brendan's Hospital grounds in Dublin city centre. The agency aims to create a new city quarter around the Grangegorman site. The plan includes principally a new urban campus for Dublin Institute of Technology, DIT, as well as new health care facilities for the Health Service Executive, new arts, cultural, recreational and public spaces, a primary school, public library, children's play spaces and a complementary mixed use development.

We are joined, from the Dublin Institute of Technology, by Professor Brian Norton, president, Dr. Noel O’Connor, director of student development, and Mr. Denis Murphy, director of corporate services, and from the Grangegorman Development Agency, by Mr. Ger Casey, chief executive, Mr. Peter O'Sullivan, director of finance, Ms Nora Rahill, corporate affairs manager, and Ms Lori Keeve, communications. We are also joined, from the Department of Education and Skills, by Mr. Christy Mannion and from the Higher Education Authority, Dr. Graham Love and Mr. Andrew Brownlee.

I remind members, witnesses and those in the public gallery that all mobile telephones must be switched off.

I advise that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. If they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of that evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against a person, persons or entity either by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

I invite Ms Drinan from the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General to make a brief opening statement.