Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Apologies have been received from the Chairman, Deputy McGuinness, and Deputy Doherty. We welcome a new member to the committee, Deputy English. He is very welcome.

We now proceed with the usual notice in respect of mobile phones. I ask all those present to decommission them or do whatever it is that is required. I welcome members and viewers who may be watching the proceedings of the public session of the Oireachtas Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach on Oireachtas TV.

Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that members 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 remind members of the constitutional requirement that they must be physically present within the confines of the place in which Parliament has chosen to sit, namely, Leinster House, in order to participate in public meetings. I will not permit a member to participate where he or she is not adhering to this constitutional requirement. It is not that I will not but that I cannot do so.

The Dáil has ordered that the Revised Estimates for the Public Services in respect of the following Votes be referred to this select committee for consideration: Vote 1 - President's Establishment; Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach; Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General; Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office; Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions; and Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor.

On behalf of the committee, I welcome the Taoiseach. I presume all members have received briefing documents. The programme-based structure for Estimates should allow the committee to focus on what the Department has committed to achieving in terms of outputs, namely, to consider whether the performance targets included in the Estimates are a sufficiently complete description of the services provided by the Department and whether these targets strike the right balance in terms of the needs of society, and to consider whether the information provided by the Department makes clear how the moneys available are allocated between services and whether these allocations are the most appropriate in the circumstances.

I remind members that we have to vacate the room by 12 noon. I welcome the Taoiseach and call on him to make his opening address.