Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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Before I call the next speaker, Deputy Catherine Murphy, I have a duty, as Chairman of this committee, to make the following clear. I will read from the invitation that the committee approved and agreed and which was issued to Mr. Robert Watt.

I wish to confirm that the Committee requests your attendance at a meeting to discuss the Department's historical and continuing role for the oversight and implementation of projects under the national framework for capital investment, and under the national development plan 2018-2027, as specified in your Department's published Annual Business Plans. The Committee would particularly like to focus on the Department's role in ensuring that value for money is achieved through systematic appraisal and professional management of all capital projects.

In light of this letter, the committee wrote a number of days ago to the Department asking it to list approximately the ten major projects that fall under this issue, and we got the list. It starts off with MetroLink and goes on to the national children's hospital. It then deals with the water supply project - eastern and midlands region, for which Irish Water has responsibility; the N20, Cork to Limerick; the Galway city ring road; the public private partnership, PPP, M11 project, Gorey to Enniscorthy; the greater Dublin area drainage scheme under Irish Water; the N21 to N69, which runs from Limerick to Adare to Foynes; the PPP N25, which is the Newross bypass; and the national broadband plan. We have been here for over two hours and I am concerned, as Chairman, that we have not been sticking to the subject matter of the invitation. We have spent most of our time dealing with one item, namely, the children's hospital. I must make sure that this meeting is run in a balanced way that is fair to the members and the witnesses who were called to discuss the national capital plan, not solely one item. As Chairman, I have a duty to ensure that the discussion aligns itself to the invitation. The invitation did not refer to the national children's hospital specifically. Yes, we can mention it, but, as Chairman, I am going to ensure that for the remainder of the meeting the discussion aligns itself with the invitation. I hope I am making myself clear. Yes, there can be some further comment on the national children's hospital-----