Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have received apologies from Deputy Gannon. This afternoon we are dealing with Supplementary Estimates for the Public Service. Members will be aware that the Dáil order that the Revised Estimates for the Public Service in respect of the following Votes would be referred to this committee for consideration: Vote 27 - international co-operation and Vote 28 - Department of Foreign Affairs. Today's meeting of the select committee will consider these Estimates.

On behalf of Members of the select committee I welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Deputy Coveney, and the Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora and international development, Deputy Brophy. The officials accompanying them are Mr. John Conlan, chief financial officer in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ms Siobhan Byrne, the director of the Passport Service, who is known to this committee and Mr. Ruairí de Búrca, the director general of the development co-operation and Africa division, who again was with the committee recently. I thank the team of departmental officials for the comprehensive briefing material provided to the committee and for the ongoing attention and very positive relationship with the committee on items we discuss on a weekly basis.

The proposed format for today's meeting is that the committee will deal with Votes 27 and 28 under the relevant programmes. At the outset of consideration I will invite the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to give an overview on Vote 28, outlining pressures likely to impact on his Department's expenditure regarding the Vote for the remainder of this year, 2021. The floor will then be open for questions from Members for each of the programmes. I ask that Members put their questions on a specific programme so that we can progress in an orderly and efficient manner. I also ask Members to be conscious of the time constraints. Members will be aware that on the previous occasion when we discussed Estimates we were in some way challenged towards the end of the meeting in terms of having questions addressed. We are operating under Covid time constraints.

When we have completed consideration of Vote 28, I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, to make an opening statement and we will proceed to consider programmes under Vote 27. I remind Members of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I invite the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to make his opening statement.