Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Fraser. Before I call the first speaker, I acknowledge receipt of Mr. Fraser's opening statement, briefing note and the annual report for the Department of An Taoiseach for 2017. I also want to acknowledge receipt of information in respect of Vote 1, the President's Establishment and the opening statement in that regard. I further acknowledge receipt of the document, The Presidency in Review, 2011 - 2018, which was published towards the end of last year. That contains some financial information of which the public may not have been aware. It is welcome that its publication has been achieved. As a matter of course, the Committee of Public Accounts will be examining all Votes on a routine basis, which is what it should do. Today's meeting includes an examination of the Vote for the office of the President. Last year was the first time that we conducted such an examination but it will be a normal part of our work from now on. We also indicated earlier that we will be reviewing the accounts of the Comptroller and Auditor General's office. I do not know if any Committee of Public Accounts has done that before but we will be doing it. We will also be reviewing the accounts of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission. I do not know when the commission was last before the Committee of Public Accounts. Every one of the Votes will be examined by this committee at some stage and there will be no exceptions from now on. I just wanted to put that on the public record in case people think we are picking and choosing particular items. Everything is on our agenda.

Deputy Aylward is first and he will have 20 minutes. Everyone else will have ten minutes because we will have a second session this afternoon and there will be a different main speaker at that stage. Speakers will be called in the following sequence: Deputy Aylward, Deputy Cullinane, Deputy Catherine Murphy, Deputy Connolly and Deputy MacSharry.