Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

If the committee wishes, we can write to Laois and Offaly ETB to seek further information - it is in the financial statement - and for an update on progress. Is that agreed? Agreed. I will ask the clerk to the committee to write to the CEO and ask for a progress report.

Is it agreed that we note the accounts and statements? Agreed. As usual, we will continue our practice of writing to bodies with significant non-compliant procurement, and to bodies that are late laying their accounts before the Oireachtas.

The next item is correspondence. Members will recall that we agreed at a recent meeting to hold over a number of items for consideration in public session. Two correspondence lists have been circulated to them. The list entitled "Correspondence List HELD OVER" includes items held over from that recent meeting. The list entitled "Correspondence List NEW" includes correspondence received since the latest meeting. As usual, items that are not flagged for discussion for this meeting will be dealt with in accordance with the proposed actions, and decisions taken by the committee on correspondence are recorded in the minutes of the committee's meetings and will be published on the committee's web page.

The first category of correspondence under which members have flagged items for discussion is: correspondence from Accounting Officers and or Ministers and follow-up to Committee of Public Accounts meetings. Members will recall that, at our meeting on 16 December, we agreed to hold over six items of correspondence. These are items that had been flagged for discussion by members, and we will deal with them first. I will generally request agreement to note and publish the items and if members then wish to propose additional actions, we will consider them.

The first correspondence is No. 252B from Ms Anne Graham, CEO, National Transport Authority, dated 26 November 2020, providing further information requested by the committee regarding procurement in respect of rail services on the Maynooth Line. It is proposed to note and publish this item. Deputy Catherine Murphy had a particular interest in this and I ask her to contribute at this point.