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

I disagree with the Deputy slightly on the towing and recovery. There are 14 companies listed there – 14 services providers. It caught my eye that they were for expired contracts. In other words, the contracts are being allowed to continue. I take it that is what that means. It said 14 new contracts are currently in place and the final 14 are to be completed by quarter 1 of 2023. I would like to know whether they were put out to tender. We do not know; it does not tell us that in the response. I fail to see why that would not be put out to tender. In any county, there would be a number of companies, garages and recovery firms with the capacity for towing, recovery and that kind of thing. Whichever one is selected by the Garda is the one that is used and those are obviously the ones being used. Regarding the service that operates in each county, has every one of them been put out to public tender? This does not tell us that. Not only does it not tell us whether the ones to replace these have been put out to public tender, but also, some counties are not mentioned. This covers some counties. One can see the geographic locations such as Gormanston, Donegal, etc. Across the country, is each one put out to tender?

How many that have been tendered out are in place? I wish to confirm that. Will those 14 be filled with tender providers? Those are the questions I have. Would anyone else like to come in on that point? Is everyone happy? We will look for clarification from the chief superintendent of the Garda on that matter.

No. R1880 B from Mr. Harry Lester, assistant secretary general of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, dated 9 May. He has contacted the committee regarding a proposed meeting with the Department. Last week, it was agreed to add a meeting with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, including representatives of the Workplace Relations Commission, to the work programme. The secretariat reached out to the Department with regard to scheduling a meeting for 15 June. The Department has requested that we defer the meeting to a later date as the current Secretary General is leaving at the end of May. A new Secretary General will be coming in. Perhaps "green" would be the wrong word to use, but the new Secretary General would be coming before the committee without the proper chance to familiarise himself or herself with the job and the brief. It is proposed to note and publish the statement of correspondence. Is that agreed? I propose that we agree to the deferral of the meeting to a later date. We can discuss the matter further when we get to the work programme. I think deferral is the sensible thing to do. Is everybody okay with that? The Department is not long-fingering the meeting. It is a practical problem.

No. R1881 B from Professor Kerstin Mey, president of the University of Limerick, UL and is dated 9 May. It is regarding the forthcoming meeting on 18 May, which is next week. Is it agreed to note and publish that item of correspondence? I propose that we discuss this item in private session. Is that agreed? Okay. That concludes consideration of the correspondence for this week.

Moving on to the work programme, at our next meeting on 18 May, we will engage with UL in respect of its financial statements for 2021. I will further discuss arrangements for the meeting in private session. We received permission from the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight to conduct the meeting with conditions.

On 25 May, we will engage with the Department of Justice to examine its appropriation accounts 2021. I propose that we add expenditure and governance of the international protection assessment process and the funding and governance of domestic violence refuge centres as areas of interest for that meeting. Is that agreed? If any other member has a pressing matter to suggest, I ask them to send it to the secretariat.

On 1 June, we will engage with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to resume examination of its appropriation accounts. I propose that we flag the funding, governance and oversight of the cost-rental sector and the social and affordable housing budget spend and delivery as areas of special interest. Is that agreed?