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

I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General for that information. Can we agree and note the accounts and statements? Agreed. As usual, the accounts and statements will be published as part of our minutes.

The next business is correspondence. As previously agreed, items that are not flagged for discussion at this meeting will continue to be dealt with in accordance with the proposed actions that have been circulated, and decisions taken by the committee in relation to correspondence are recorded in the minutes of the committee’s meetings and published on the committee’s web page.

No. 1128B is from Mr. Ray Mitchell, assistant national director of the HSE from 11 March. This is information requested by the committee on additional nursing home charges. We held this over from last week and it is proposed to note and publish that. Is that agreed? Agreed. It was flagged by Deputy Munster and I am not sure if she is present so I propose that we move on. We will take that as dealt with and that correspondence is there if the Deputy wants to review it and comment on it in future.

No. 1137B is from Mr. David Moloney, Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, dated 16 March 2022, responding to the committee’s request that Accounting Officers' remuneration be published as part of the appropriation accounts of Departments and offices. This is beginning with the presentation of accounts for 2021. Members will recall that we wrote to the Department proposing a number of changes to the format and content of the appropriation accounts. The Secretary General agreed to examine the proposal for the 2022 accounts, and it was subsequently requested that, in the interests of transparency and accountability, the remuneration of Accounting Officers should be included in the 2021 accounts. It is welcome that this will be done and that will include a comparator for 2020. The circular giving effect to this change was circulated to members yesterday. I propose that the committee notes and publishes this item of correspondence; requests a progress update by the end of September this year on each of the changes to the appropriation accounts proposed by the committee and includes the matter on the agenda for our meeting with the Department of Expenditure and Reform on 19 May.

I will open this matter to the floor before seeking agreement on those proposals. Deputies Carthy and Catherine Murphy have flagged this item.