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

I welcome everyone to this morning's meeting. Due to the current situation regarding Covid-19, only the clerk, support staff and I are in the committee room. Members of the committee are attending remotely from within the precincts of Leinster House. This is due to the constitutional requirement that in order to participate in public meetings members must be physically present within the confines of the place where the Parliament has chosen to sit, namely, Leinster House or the convention centre. I will ask members to confirm their location before contributing to ensure they are meeting that requirement.

The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, is a permanent witness to the committee and is attending remotely. Today we will engage with officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. We engaged with the Department last November and today we will resume our examination of the 2019 Appropriation Accounts, Vote 34 - Housing, Planning and Local Government, with a specific focus on expenditure and value for money in relation to the following areas: the rental assistance scheme, otherwise known as RAS; the housing assistance payment, or HAP; the repair and lease scheme; the enhanced long term social housing leasing scheme; and emergency accommodation.

We are joined remotely from outside the precincts of Leinster House by the following officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Mr. Graham Doyle, Secretary General; Ms Áine Stapleton and Mr. Barry Quinlan, assistant secretaries general; Ms Deirdre Mason, Mr. David Kelly and Mr. Eamonn Waters, principal officers. We are also joined remotely from within the precincts of Leinster House by Ms. Clare Costello, principal officer in the housing Vote section at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The witnesses are all very welcome.

When we begin to engage, I must ask members and witnesses to mute themselves if they are not contributing so that we do not pick up any background noise or feedback. As usual, I remind all those in attendance to ensure their mobile phones are switched off or on silent mode. Before we begin, I wish to explain some limitations to parliamentary privilege and the practices of the Houses as regards references to other persons made in evidence. The evidence of a witness who is physically present or who gives evidence from within the parliamentary precincts is protected, pursuant to both the Constitution and statute, by absolute privilege. However, a number of today's witnesses are giving their evidence remotely from a place outside of the precincts and as such may not benefit from the same level of immunity from legal proceedings as a witness present. Such witnesses have already been advised of this and may think it appropriate to take legal advice on the matter.

Members are reminded of the provision within Standing Order 218 that the committee shall refrain from inquiring into the merits of a policy or policies of the Government, or a Minister of the Government, or the merits of the objectives of such policies. Members are also reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against any person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

To assist the broadcasting and debates services, I ask that members direct their questions to a specific witness. If the question is not directed to a specific witness, I ask each witness to state his or her name when first contributing. The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, delivered his opening statement on the Vote last November, which has been re-circulated to the committee prior to the meeting. Unless Mr. McCarthy wishes to address the committee, we will move straight into Mr. Doyle's opening statement. Is Mr. McCarthy happy to proceed thus?