John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)

Our witnesses are very welcome to today's meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts. Before we proceed, I have a few housekeeping matters to go through as follows. Members are reminded of the provisions within Standing Order 226 that the committee shall refrain from inquiring into the merits of 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 remind members of the constitutional requirement that in order to participate in public meetings, they must be physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex. Members of the committee attending remotely must do so from within the precincts of Leinster House.

The agenda for today is to discuss the accounts and statements, correspondence and upcoming meetings. We will begin with the accounts and financial statements. Fifty sets of accounts and financial statements were laid between 15 July 2025 on 12 September 2025 and are due to be considered today. We are joined by Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, who is a permanent witness to the committee. I ask the Comptroller and Auditor General to introduce these statements before opening the floor to members.