Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This meeting has been convened to consider the 2019 Supplementary Estimate for Vote 26, education and skills. This was referred to the committee on 27 November with an instruction to report back to the Dáil not later than 12 December 2019. We are hitting the last moments of that time. Our role is to consider the Supplementary Estimate and report what we have done by way of a message to the Dáil. The purpose of this part of the meeting is to have an engagement with the Minister for consideration of the said Estimates. On behalf of the committee I welcome the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Joe McHugh, and his officials. I propose that the Minister make a brief opening statement, which will be followed by a question and answer session with the committee. We will be individually considering the nine subheads which make up the Supplementary Estimate. Some of them may overlap; subheads A.3 to A.6 relate to additional funding for teacher and special needs assistant, SNA, salaries. We will then have some brief closing remarks. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I remind members that in accordance with Standing Orders, discussions should be confined to the items constituting the Supplementary Estimates. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.