David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are joined from the Comptroller and Auditor General's office by Mr. Andy Harkness, director of audit, and he is accompanied today by Paula O'Connor. Apologies have been received from Deputies Pat Deering, Mary Lou McDonald and Alan Kelly.

The first item on the agenda is the minutes of the meeting of 30 November 2017. Are they agreed? Agreed. Are there any matters arising? As there are no matters arising we will move on to correspondence. There are three categories of correspondence. Category A is the briefing documents and opening statements. Is it agreed that we note those? Agreed.

No. 984A,from Department of Finance, is the opening statement for today's meeting. Is it agreed that we note and publish it? Agreed.

Next we have correspondence from Accounting Officers and-or Ministers and follow-up to PAC meetings and other items for publishing. No. 963B was carried over from last week's meeting. It isfrom Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills, and provides additional information that was sought at the committee meeting on 16 November 2017 in relation to education and training boards, ETBs. We have received a considerable amount of information which has been circulated. I suggest we hold this over again until the new year. Is that agreed? Agreed.

No. 965B was carried over from Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills and is dated 4 December 2017. It provides further details as requested by the committee regarding the progress made in relation to the contributions being made by religious congregations towards the costs incurred by the State in responding to residential institutional child abuse.This is an ongoing process so we will request the Department to keep the committee updated on this. Deputy Connolly may wish to comment on the information that has been provided.