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

I welcome everyone to this morning's meeting. No apologies have been received. Deputy Cormac Devlin may be late.

Members and witnesses attending from within the committee room are asked to exercise personal responsibility to protect themselves and others from the risk of contracting Covid-19. Members of the committee attending remotely must continue to do so from within the precincts of Leinster House due to the constitutional requirement that, in order to participate in public meetings, members must be physically present within the confines of the place where Parliament has chosen to sit.

The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, is a permanent witness to the committee. He is accompanied by Mr. Pat Mullen, audit manager at the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

This morning, we will engage with officials from the Department of Rural and Community Development to examine the following matters: Appropriation Accounts 2021, Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development; and the Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2021, Chapter 6 - Central government funding of local authorities.

We are joined by the following officials from the Department of Rural and Community Development: Ms Mary Hurley, Secretary General; Mr. Fintan O’Brien, assistant secretary, rural development; Mr. J.P. Mulherin, assistant secretary, corporate support; Mr. Kenneth Jordan, finance officer; and Mr. Paul Geraghty, principal officer, community development and the islands. We are also joined by the following representatives from Pobal: Ms Anna Shakespeare, CEO; and Mr. Martin Quigley, director of data and analytics. We are also joined by the following representatives from the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform: Mr. Dermot Nolan, principal officer; and Ms Criona Brassil, assistant principal, who will join us later in the meeting. They are all very welcome. 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 references the 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. As witnesses are within the precincts of Leinster House, they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the presentations they make to the committee. This means they have an absolute defence against any defamation actions for anything they say at the meeting. However, they are expected not to abuse this privilege, and it is my duty as Cathaoirleach to make sure it is not abused. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that witnesses comply with this direction.

Members are reminded of the provision of 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 call the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, to make his opening statement.