Maria Bailey (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As we have a quorum, I call the meeting to order in public session. I have received apologies from Senator Victor Boyhan. In accordance with standard procedures agreed by the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, to facilitate a paperless committee, all documentation on the meeting has been circulated to members on the document database.

At the request of the broadcasting and recording services, members are requested to ensure that for the duration of the meeting, their mobile phones are turned off completely or turned to aeroplane or flight mode, depending on their device. It is not sufficient for members to put their phones on silent mode as this will maintain a level of interference with the broadcasting system.

Before we begin, I remind members of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official, either by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

First on the agenda is a discussion of the mid-year review of the Estimates for Public Services 2017: Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government. I welcome the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, Minister of State, Deputy John Paul Phelan and the Department officials. The purpose of the meeting is to consider the mid-year position in terms of expenditure performance outputs of the Department. The committee agreed prior to today to proceed by grouping programmes D, E and F together. Members will be invited to ask questions relevant only to the programme we are dealing with at the time.

The Minister may make his opening statement and we will then proceed to questions.