Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is a point that will raise its head again. We will note and publish it and make the information available.

No. 2332 B is from Ms Aoife Ní Fhearghail, deputy director of Irish Aid at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, dated 24 July, providing an updated version of a note supplied in No. 2026 B regarding the election observation roster. The previous information note was provided on 1 March. The update includes further details of the findings of the High Court on the matter. Related to this is No. 2362 C, dated 17 August, from an individual who has previously corresponded with the committee regarding the Department's previous information note. He believed the previous information note provided by the Department was defamatory. The committee decided on 18 April to advise the correspondent to raise the matter with the Department directly and that if the Department wished to change or withdraw the note to the committee, then the committee would duly consider that request. As the Department has requested an update of its note, I propose that we remove the previously published note from the website and replace it with the updated note from the Department. We will note both items and we will advise the correspondent accordingly. We will replace the note on the committee's website with the new one. Is that agreed? Agreed.

No. 2333 B is from Mr. William Beausang, head of higher and further education and training policy at the Department of Education and Skills, dated 24 July. Enclosed is a press release issued by the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, inviting views on detailed legislative proposals and a consultation report on reform of regulation of higher education. We have considered legal powers available to the Higher Education Authority, HEA, and the proposed legislation includes reconstituting the HEA as the Higher Education Commission with statutory responsibility for the regulation and oversight of the performance of higher education institutions. We will note and publish this. The Department has written to us because we have been involved in this area. If we want to make a submission to that consultation process that the Minister of State is engaging in, I suggest we resend a copy of our periodic report with our earlier recommendations to be taken into consideration. I do not propose to go any further. We have said what we have to say and will ask the Department to take it into consideration as a submission to the consultation process.

The next item is a big one. No. 2334 B is from Mr. Ray Mitchell from the HSE, dated 26 July, providing information on more than 20 matters raised at our meeting on 27 June, including notes on various items. We will have a quick look through this fairly substantial correspondence. Health is so important that I would not consider it proper for us to note and publish it without discussing it. Did Deputy Munster want to comment on this correspondence?