John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Before we commence, I ask members to remember to turn their mobile phones off or to flight mode because they interfere with the meeting and the recording.

This meeting has been convened to consider the Supplementary Estimate for Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection which was referred by the Dáil to the select committee on 19 November. I welcome the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, and her officials, to the meeting. I especially thank the Minister and her officials for the briefing material which has been provided and circulated to the members of the committee.

Two sets of imeachtaí have been circulated to members relating to the Revised Estimates for Vote 37, considered on 27 March 2019, and those relating to the Committee Stage of the Social Welfare (No. 2) Bill considered on 21 November. We have also circulated draft minutes of the meeting of 9 July which recommend that Deputy O'Dea's Bill, Pensions (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2017, proceeds to Committee Stage. Are they agreed? Agreed.

I propose to invite the Minister to make an opening address to the committee in a moment and members will then have an opportunity to ask her a question. Before that, I remind members that, in according with Standing Orders, discussion should be confined to the items constituting the Supplementary Estimate which are: administration pay; administration non-pay; non-contributory State pension; jobseeker's allowance; one-parent family payment; widow and widower's pension; basic supplementary welfare allowance; farm assist; exceptional and urgent needs; other working agency reports; the community employment, CE, programme; rural social programme; the Tús initiative; back-to-work enterprise allowance; youth employment support scheme; back to education; back-to-work family dividend; JobsPlus; disability allowance; carer's allowance; domiciliary care allowance; carer support grant; disability activation support; wage subsidy scheme; child benefit; working family payment; back-to-school clothing and footwear; school meals; rent supplement; telephone support allowance; household benefits package; fuel allowance; grant to the Citizens Information Board, CIB; miscellaneous and appropriations-in-aid. I ask members to refer to those specific sub-headings when they are making contributions.

I neglected, at the start of the meeting, to acknowledge an apology from Deputy Brady who will not be here today.

The Minister should not look so happy.