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

Apologies have been received from Deputies Alan Kelly, Paul McAuliffe, Catherine Murphy and Matt Carthy. The weeks leading up to the summer recess are particularly busy and other Deputies may also be otherwise engaged this morning. There are several other committees sitting at present.

Please note that to limit the risk of spreading Covid-19, the service encourages all members, visitors and witnesses to continue to wear face masks when moving around the campus or when in close proximity to others, to be respectful of other people’s physical space, and to adhere to any other public health advice.

Members of the committee attending remotely must do so 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 Parliament.

The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, is a permanent witness to the committee. He is accompanied by Ms Paula O'Connor, deputy director of audit at the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

This morning we will engage with officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to examine arrangements in place for accountability and oversight of the expenditure of central government funds in the local government sector. The examination is in the context of chapter 3, central government funding of local authorities, from the Comptroller and Auditor General's Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2020. As per the request of the committee, the Department has provided a response to a series of questions regarding its oversight of expenditure of central government funds in the local government sector. Briefing documents have also been received from the Local Government Audit Service, the National Oversight and Audit Commission, and the Association of Irish Local Government.

We are joined in the committee room by the following officials from the Department: Mr. Graham Doyle, Secretary General; Ms Lorraine O'Donoghue, principal officer; Mr. David Kelly, principal officer; Ms Sinéad Kehoe, finance officer; and Mr. Diarmuid O’Leary, principal officer. We are also joined remotely from outside the precincts of Leinster House by the following officials from the Department: Ms Fiona Quinn, assistant secretary, and Ms Sinead O’Gorman, principal officer.

As usual, I remind all those 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 reference witnesses may make to other persons in their evidence. The evidence of witnesses physically present or who give evidence from within the parliamentary precincts is protected, pursuant to both the Constitution and statute, by absolute privilege. However, two of our witnesses today are giving their evidence remotely, from a place outside of the parliamentary precincts, and as such may not benefit from the same level of immunity from legal proceedings as a witness physically present does. These witnesses have already been advised of this and may think it appropriate to take legal advice on the matter.

Members are reminded of the provisions in 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.

I invite the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, to make his opening statement.