Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is our first mid-year review meeting with the Department of Rural and Community Development. This is a new committee shadowing a new Department and we hope to follow the roadmap set out in the 2016 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, report entitled Review of budget oversight by parliament: Ireland. The committee will consider the mid-year position in terms of expenditure and performance outputs. The committee is also interested in looking at the link between expenditure and performance following international best practice. As well as considering this budget year, 2018, the committee will also consider 2017 and it will look to 2019 and the following years.

I propose that the Minister for Rural and Community Development will first make his opening statement. This will be followed by a question and answer session structured as followed: outputs and expenditure will be examined programme by programme; and members will be called upon to ask questions on the subheads under the relevant programme and administrative subheads. The committee will consider the Minister's statement and a brief supplied by the Department. The committee must adjourn not later than 1 p.m. because another committee is due to commence shortly afterwards. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I welcome the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Michael Ring. I also welcome Deputy Seán Canney who is the Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. I take this opportunity to congratulate Deputy Seán Canney on his appointment. He is a former member of this committee and he is very welcome having just been appointed yesterday. I also welcome the officials accompanying the Minister and Minister of State.

The opening statements and briefs have been circulated to the committee. I propose that all documents supplied to the committee for this meeting be published on the committee's website. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I invite the Minister and Minister of State to make their opening statements.