Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are joined by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, who is joined by Ms Georgina O’Mahoney, deputy director of audit. Apologies have been received from Deputy Deering. We are going directly to our engagement with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. With the agreement of the committee, we will stop at approximately 11.30 a.m. to allow members to be in the Chamber for the President of the EU Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker’s address. We will take the business of the committee in the afternoon. The first item we are dealing with today concerns the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We will examine chapter 14 of the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the account of the public services 2016 - control of Ireland's bilateral assistance programme. We will be examining the following appropriation accounts for 2016: Vote 27 - International Co-operation and Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade. We also will look at matters relating to the Passport Office, which is under the Department's remit.

We are joined today by the following people from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Mr. Niall Burgess, Secretary General; Mr. Austin Gormley, director general of the corporate service division; Mr. Ruairí de Búrca, director general of the development co-operation division; Ms Fiona Penollar, director of passport services; Ms Barbara Cullinane, director of the strategy and performance unit; Ms Caitríona Ingoldsby, director of the Irish abroad unit; Mr. James McIntyre, director of the finance division; and Mr. Michael Tiernan, accountant in the finance division. We are also joined by Mr. Brian O'Malley from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. They are very welcome to today's meeting.

I remind members and those in the Public Gallery that all mobile phones must be switched off or put into aeroplane mode. If they are on silent mode they will still interfere with the recording system. I wish to advise the witnesses that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. If they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of the evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or persons or entity, by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

Members of the committee are reminded of the provisions of Standing Order 186, which state that the Committee shall also refrain from enquiring into the merits of a policy or policies of the Government or a Minister of the Government or the merits of the objectives of such policies. While we expect witnesses to answer questions put by the committee clearly and with candour, witnesses can and should expect to be treated fairly and with respect and consideration at all times, in accordance with the witness protocol.