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

The committee is in public session. No apologies have been received. I remind members, visitors and those in the Gallery to please ensure their mobile phones are switched off for duration of the meeting as they interfere with broadcasting equipment even when in silent mode. The meeting has been convened to consider the Supplementary Estimate for Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government, which was referred to the committee by the Dáil on 29 November with an instruction that the committee report back to the Dáil not later than 6 December 2017.

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, and Department officials to this morning's meeting. I propose the following arrangements apply to the debate: the Minister will make a brief address to the committee, after which we can consider the subheads relevant to the Supplementary Estimate. I remind members that in accordance with Standing Order 184, discussion should be confined to the items constituting the Supplementary Estimate. The subheads are A3 and A6, relating to local authority housing and estate regeneration and social housing improvements. I ask members to indicate the subhead to which they refer and the page in the Department's briefing, if relevant, when contributing. I ask the Minister to make his opening statement.