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

Apologies have been received from Deputies Dillon, Hourigan, MacSharry and Munster. I welcome everyone to the meeting. Due to the situation with 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, to participate in public meetings, members must be physically present within the confines of the place where Parliament has chosen to sit, either Leinster House or the Convention Centre Dublin. I ask members to confirm their location before contributing to ensure we are adhering to that constitutional requirement. The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, is a permanent witness and is attending remotely.

Today we engage with officials from the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board and the Department of Health. This engagement is a continuation of our meeting in February and we will resume our examination of the board's 2019 financial statements.

We are joined remotely from outside the precincts of Leinster House by officials from the board: Mr. David Gunning, chief officer; Mr. Phelim Devine, project director; Dr. Emma Curtis, medical director; and Mr. Jim Farragher, finance officer.

We are also joined remotely from outside the precincts of Leinster House by officials from the Department of Health: Mr. Derek Tierney, assistant secretary of health infrastructure and Ms Fiona Prendergast, acting director of health infrastructure. All of the witnesses are very welcome.

When we begin to engage, I ask members and witnesses to mute their devices when not contributing so that we do not pick up any background noise or feedback. As usual, I remind all in attendance to ensure their mobile phones are on silent mode or switched off.

Before we start, I wish to explain some limitations to parliamentary privilege and the practice of the Houses as regards references witnesses may make to other persons in their evidence. The evidence of witnesses physically present or who give their evidence from within the parliamentary precincts is protected, pursuant to the Constitution and by statute, by absolute privilege. Today's witnesses are giving their evidence remotely from a place outside the parliamentary precincts and as such they may not benefit from the same level of immunity from legal proceedings as a witness physically present. Such witnesses have already been advised of this and may have thought it appropriate to take legal advice on this matter

Members are reminded of the provisions 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 a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

To assist our broadcasting service and the Debates Office, I ask that members direct their questions to a specific witness. If the question has not been directed to a specific witness, I ask each witness to state his or her name the first time that he or she contributes.

The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, delivered his opening statement on the board's financial statements in February and it was recirculated to the committee before this meeting. Will the Comptroller and Auditor General wish to address it again?