Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General. I appreciate that.

The next set of accounts is Traveller' Protection Fund and Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Bond Accounts. There is a clear audit opinion in this regard.

Next is the National Concert Hall, for which there is also a clear audited opinion.

Next is Bord na gCon. It is a clear audited opinion but attention is drawn to impairment losses totalling €20.6 million recognised in the financial statements of five subsidiary companies following the board's review of impairment for 2018. We had representatives from Bord na gCon before the committee recently. We went through these impairments and the company's revaluations of its assets, but we are formally noting that. The accounts have since been laid before the Oireachtas. That is why we are noting it but we did discuss it at length. That is the end of that particular topic.

The next item is the work programme, in respect of which we will have a very brief discussion. Before us today are officials from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. Next week, on 12 November, we will have a private meeting from 4 p.m. Tomorrow morning, the secretariat will issue a working paper to members of the committee in respect of the work it has carried out in assisting us with our consideration and drafting of a periodic report. No report has been drafted and one will not be issued. This is a working paper from the secretariat. It has had no input from any member of the committee. It is not a Committee of Public Accounts document. We will consider that working paper at our meeting on Tuesday next, 12 November. I plead with members to try to read the document, which contains many pages, because it would be great if we could get through our first reading in the one meeting. Otherwise, we will have to keep coming back to it and we want to get this report out as soon as is practicable. If members have anything in particular to say, they should make a note rather than starting to read this document when we arrive for the meeting.

I will come back to the work programme but Deputy Cullinane has indicated. We had suggested a meeting on the following Tuesday, 19 November, to deal with the Department of Communication, Climate Action and Environment in respect of greenhouse gases and carbon taxation. I propose that we do not proceed with the meeting on that date and that we will re-schedule it for a Thursday afternoon. Three Tuesdays in a row is a bit too heavy for us. We do much work on a Thursday so we will try not to have that third Tuesday meeting.