Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That will be part of the discussion, as well as the ongoing issues. As we will need a full day, people can schedule it at this stage.

The next item is No. 782B, correspondence dated 3 October in my name. I forwarded a link to the Garda interim report as I did not think it had been formally sent to the Committee of Public Accounts. I think we all got a copy of it so I have made sure that the committee received one. We note that. The Garda will feature on our work programme later on again.

No. 783B is correspondence dated 3 October 2017 from HIQA providing some of the follow-up information requested last week. The correspondence includes details of an error in staffing numbers in the business plan, a breakdown on source of concerns raised with HIQA, human resource risks and risk profiling in the organisation. We will note that and await receipt of the full information. Also, we will ask the Department of Health questions on that day. I am sure that we will receive all of the information within the week.

No. 788B is correspondence dated 4 October 2017. I shall sigh with exasperation before I deal with this matter. The correspondence is from the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, on the payment of moneys due to Console staff. We awaited this item. The Minister has pointed out that the liquidation is ongoing but, in the event that there is no money to pay staff, he considers it inappropriate to pay the money out of voted expenditure. I think the committee has made its views very clear on this matter. I wish to reiterate publicly the opinion that there is an onus on the Department to make an ex gratiapayment to these individuals because a significant reason these people were not paid moneys due to them can be attributed to the lack of oversight by the HSE, in the first place, in terms of monitoring the Console organisation. While we cannot force the Minister to take action, we again appeal to him to reconsider. I propose that we do not let this matter go. The Committee of Public Accounts will issue a report in the course of the coming month on various issues. I think it is an issue that the committee will not stand back from. I know, technically, there might be a point. I think there have been other precedents where payments have been made and if there is a will, there is a way. Can we agree to note his response? Effectively we are saying we are not satisfied with his response. We will examine the topic again but there it rests just for today.

The next item is two documents, Nos. 790(i) B and 790 (ii) B, which have just come from the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. They are on the screen but I have not had an opportunity to print them. The documents update the committee on the audit status of the educational and training boards and third level colleges. The documents can be viewed on the screen now and I suggest that we start at the top.

Document No. 790(i) B clearly shows that the audits for 2015 have all been cleared until we reach the line that refers to Kildare and Wicklow where audit queries are still outstanding, Limerick and Clare has an audit "in progress" and Louth and Meath has "audit queries outstanding." Is that the end of the ETBs?