Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests and I thank them for the briefing notes and the opening statement supplied in advance. It is a broad appropriation account, and we could probably spend a week delving into the important matters that it covers. I compliment the Secretary General, the Department and its officials on delivering on the work programme. It is extremely ambitious and the commitment to delivering on it must be acknowledged. It is a work programme which is required to meet the needs of our citizens.

I welcome the €4 billion fund that will be available for the housing programme and that undoubtedly relates to the challenge this Government needs to meet. It is very welcome. I acknowledge and appreciate the work of our local authorities around the country and the speed of change. I appreciate their mobilisation during the early stages of the pandemic and the Department’s support for local authorities at national level.

The Comptroller and Auditor General drew attention to the note on the account that disclosed the payment of a fine to the European Commission arising from the judgment of the European Court of Justice in November 2019. I ask the Secretary General to explain the Derrybrien wind farm case and how it ended up in the European Court of Justice. What are the next steps to resolve this issue?