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

We will include delivery of the national development plan for discussion with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform that day.

On 23 November we will have the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage before us. There is a proposal that we invite in the Housing Agency as well on that occasion.

Moving on, on 30 November we will meet with the Department of Finance to discuss its Appropriation Account for 2022. Areas of interest will include reports on accounts for public services 2022, chapter 1, relating to Exchequer financial outturn for 2022; the report on Ireland's EU transactions; the performance of the Apple escrow account, which is decreasing in size; and the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council. Is that agreed up to that point? Agreed.

There will be two more meetings before Christmas. We have had discussions here before in the context of the Department of Health budget overruns and budget controls. It is suggested that we bring in the Department of Health on agency costs. As regards the financial management of and the progress towards Sláintecare, we are about five years into it. I know Covid disrupted it seriously, but the regional structures and the financial management and governance around that are areas we need to look at, along with the agency costs. We need to look at budgets and controls and a few other things. I suggest we try to get the Department of Health in, more so than even the HSE, and not leave this too far out. We might look for a representative from the HSE on the same date. It would be worthwhile getting them in.