Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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We will now consider a number of topics with Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly. I welcome the Minister and the Secretary General, Mr. John McCarthy; the assistant secretary in the housing division, Ms Bairbre Nic Aongusa; the assistant secretary for the environment, Mr. David Walsh; Mr. Ivan Grimes; Mr. Maurice Coughlan and Ms Finola Moylette. Given the short timeframe we have this afternoon - everyone is aware of the restrictions on the Minister's schedule - I will skip the warning about privilege. We have all heard it before and I am sure the officials have heard it time and again.
We have agreed to group the questions. We received correspondence from Ervia, which was discussed earlier. A delegation from Ervia was due to attend the committee on 9 December with a reconstituted board. That will no longer be the case, as the board will not be in situand screened by that date, so we have asked it to come in as soon as possible after that. Realistically, it will be January. I might request the Minister to consider coming in with Ervia on that day, if it is agreeable to him, because of the very short timeframe this afternoon.
I will now turn to questions from members of the committee.