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

I welcome everyone to the meeting. Apologies have been received from Deputy Imelda Munster. In order 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 in order 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 this morning by Mr. William Cronin, audit manager at the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

This morning we engage with officials from the Department of Education to examine the following: the 2020 appropriation account for Vote 26 – Education; from the Comptroller and Auditor General's 2018 Report on the Accounts of the Public Services - Chapter 7, Purchase of sites for school provision; and from the Comptroller and Auditor General's 2019 Report on the Accounts of the Public Services - Chapter 8, Management of the schools estate. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Secretary General, Ms Bernie McNally, could not be in attendance for today's meeting. As the Secretary General is the Department's Accounting Officer and that function cannot be delegated, I propose that we make the transcript of today's proceedings available to the Secretary General to allow her, in her capacity as Accounting Officer, to comment on or clarify any matters that arise during the course of the meeting. As a similar situation arose in respect of our meeting with the Department of Foreign Affairs last week, I also propose that we afford that Department's Accounting Officer the same opportunity. Is that agreed? Agreed. I wish Ms McNally well and hope she will be back in good fettle soon.

We are joined in the committee room by the following officials from the Department of Education: Mr. Gavan O'Leary, assistant secretary, corporate services; Mr. Hubert Loftus, assistant secretary and head of the planning and building unit; Ms Deirdre Mc Donnell, assistant secretary and head of major operations and shared services; Mr. Harold Hislop, chief inspector; Ms Martina Mannion, assistant secretary; and Mr. Tom Whelan, principal officer and head of the finance unit. We are joined remotely from outside the precincts of Leinster House by the following assistant secretaries from the Department: Ms Aoife Conduit, Ms Deirdre Shanley and Mr. Tomás Ó Ruairc. In addition, we are joined by Ms Georgina Hughes-Elders, principal officer in the education Vote section at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

As usual, I remind all those in attendance to ensure their mobile telephones are switched off or in silent mode. 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, three of 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 does a witness who is physically present. These witnesses have already been advised that they may think it appropriate to take legal advice on this matter.

Members are reminded of the provisions within Standing Order 218 such that the committee shall refrain from inquiring into the merits of a policy or policies of the Government or a Minister 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 now call the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, to make his opening statement.