James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome everyone present. This is the second annual mid-year review meeting of the joint committee covering Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment. We are conducting a mid-year review of the Estimates. The OECD report, Review of budget oversight by parliament: Ireland, for 2016 sets out a roadmap for enhanced parliamentary scrutiny of spending by Departments throughout the budget cycle. We met representatives from the OECD on a couple of occasions during the past 12 months. The joint committee is following this roadmap, which contains the following elements: ex-ante scrutiny; budget year scrutiny; and ex-post scrutiny. The main purpose of the mid-year review is to consider the mid-year position in terms of expenditure and performance outputs, review the utility of performance measures and targets provided and examine the position in the lead-up to 2018. In essence - and before we reach the end of the year and it is too late to do so - our job is to discover where we stand at the mid-term point in terms of targets and voted Estimates and whether remedial actions are required. If such actions are required, this is obviously a good time to note them.

As per usual, I propose that the Vote will be examined programme by programme, from A to F, under the different headings. Members will be invited to ask questions about subheads in the context of the relevant programmes. The committee is particularly interested in programmes containing information that will be useful in illustrating the link between expenditure and performance. In other words, any high-level metrics. Following the examination of these programmes, members may wish to address questions to the Minister on the administrative subheads, programme G - appropriations-in-aid - and the environment fund. Finally, members may ask questions relating to the Vote as a whole.

On a housekeeping note, as we are in the Dáil Chamber and as the business of the House is due to commence at 12 noon, we must adjourn not later than 11.30 a.m., even if we are not quite finished. However, I hope all will be in order by then. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I welcome the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten. I understand that the Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Seán Kyne, will join the meeting when we reach sections that relate to his portfolio. I thank the Minister and Minister of State for the briefing material provided. I ask the Minister to make his opening statement.