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

That is interesting. It is proposed to note and publish this item of correspondence. Is that agreed? Agreed. If members want to take that up, that is why it was flagged up and put on the agenda even though it came in late.

Moving onto the work programme, the draft work programme has been circulated to members for discussion, which is being displayed on their screens. We will go through it. On 23 November, we will meet the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in relation to the appropriation accounts 2022 for Vote 45 – Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and chapter 19 on the National Training Fund. I propose that we also add the National Training Fund to the agenda for this meeting. Is that agreed? Agreed. On 30 November, we will meet the Department of Finance to discuss the Department’s 2022 appropriation accounts and chapters 1, 2, 24 and 25 of the Comptroller and Auditor General's annual report. We will meet the Department of Health on 7 December to examine the 2022 appropriation accounts for Vote 38 and the following specific areas: establishment of new regional health areas, budget controls and governance, budget outcomes, agency costs and service level agreements with section 38 and section 39 organisations. On 14 December, we will meet the Housing Agency and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to chapter 11 on the utilisation of land aggregation scheme sites, the Housing Agency’s 2021 financial statements and programme A of Vote 34 – Housing.

At the last meeting, it was agreed to add a meeting with the Department of Social Protection and the Revenue Commissioners to the work programme in early 2024.

However, these are both substantial Votes and there are relevant chapters from the Comptroller and Auditor General's annual report in relation to both bodies. I propose we schedule a separate meeting for each a week apart, for example, social protection the first week and Revenue the second. We discussed the logic of bringing them in on the same day but the Comptroller and Auditor General's report has a number of chapters to be dealt with. I will bring in the Comptroller and Auditor General and then we can have a discussion around that.