Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This morning we dealt with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Are the minutes of the meeting of 14 June agreed? Agreed. Is it agreed that there is nothing arising that will not be on the agenda? Agreed.

There are three categories of correspondence. Category A relates to briefing documents and opening statements. Correspondence item 1392A is a briefing document from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for today's meeting. We note and publish that. It has already been discussed.

Document No. 1411A is the opening statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for today's meeting. We note and publish that. It has already been discussed.

Correspondence item 1405A from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provides statistical information on passports requested by the committee. We note and publish that. We had a detailed discussion on that earlier today.

Correspondence category B is correspondence from Accounting Officers or Ministers or both and follow-up to Committee of Public Accounts meetings. A number of members are not present and others have not had an opportunity to read some of the correspondence. I have been asked to hold a number of items of correspondence over to next week.

Correspondence item 1370B from the Secretary General of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, dated 11 June 2018, provides an information note requested by the committee on the funding scheme in place for local authorities to provide housing for refugees. We note and publish that. We had a detailed discussion on that earlier today.

Correspondence item 1371 is from Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General, Department of Education and Skills and is dated 11 June 2018. I have been asked by members to hold that over until people have an opportunity to consider it. The same applies to the next item, correspondence item 1380 from Dr. Graham Love, chief executive of the Higher Education Authority. Due to members not being present I have been asked to hold that over to the next meeting. Correspondence item 1384B also is from Dr. Graham Love of the Higher Education Authority dated 15 June 2018. I have been asked to hold that over and it will be on our list next week.

Correspondence item 1385B from Ms Dee Forbes, director general of RTÉ, dated 15 June 2018, is in response to an email received from an individual querying information provided to the committee regarding the possibility of having an RTÉ 2+1 channel. Ms Forbes clarifies that RTÉ 2+1 does not currently exist, which is something I asked. I think we will hold that over. There is a second item of correspondence. I express my exasperation. We had a detailed conversation with the Department about getting an RTÉ 2+1 channel on the Sky platform. We received a detailed reply last week which does not answer the question and does not correct the record. In the meantime, we have received a further letter from Dee Forbes of RTÉ, which again does not fully clarify the matter. They are all just talking around the system. We asked a direct question and had the debate here about putting the RTÉ 2+1 channel up on the Sky platform and we have now established that the channel does not even exist. It may get permission and then make the channel; I do not know the details of the technology. We will hold this over because we are expecting further correspondence to clarify what I thought was a simple question.