John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to say that is a fact but it is not. Normally, the Taoiseach comes before the committee and presents the Estimates for his Department. The Minister or Minister of State with responsibility for the CSO then attends separately. When the Taoiseach attended the first meeting we did not complete the review of the Estimate for his Department. It was expected that he would return and finish that Estimate but that did not happen. That practice should not prevail. I am making that specific point, not just for my chairmanship and the current members of this committee, but for the future. It is not accurate to say the Taoiseach presented and that this was a meeting to deal only with the CSO Estimate. That is not a fact and the Taoiseach is quite aware of that.

We said before concluding the previous meeting that the Members had not finished the examination of the Estimates. The reason we are dealing with it here today is because of the timeframe involved. If other Members have questions that have not been dealt with, they can ask them now, and, if not, I will bring the meeting to a close. The clerk will circulate the information requested when it is received.