Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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We will decide next Thursday what to do when we receive the report we have been assured we will receive before the meeting. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The next items are correspondence. There are three categories of correspondence, the first of which is category A, comprising briefing documents and opening statements for the meeting. There are quite a number of them because there will be several witnesses today. Nos. 2610 to 2612, inclusive, from the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, are briefing documents and opening statements for today's meeting. We will note and publish them. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Nos. 2561 and 2607 are documents from the Children's Health Ireland for today's meeting. We will note and publish them. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Nos. 2601, 2602, 2608 and 2609 are briefing documents and opening statements from the HSE for today's meeting. We will note and publish them. Is that agreed? Agreed.

No. 2605 is correspondence from the Department of Health relevant to today's meeting. We will note and publish it. Is that agreed? Agreed. We will discuss all the items presently.

The next category of correspondence, category B, comprises correspondence from Accounting Officers and their Ministers in follow-up to meetings of the Committee of Public Accounts and other items for publishing. No. 2574 is from Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills, dated 25 November, providing information requested by the committee in respect of evidence required by SUSI in cases following difficult family circumstances. The item has been overtaken by the letter we received from the City of Dublin Education and Training Board last week, which operates the SUSI scheme on behalf of the Department. We will simply note the letter, given that it contains nothing we did not discuss at the previous meeting, and publish it. Is that agreed? Agreed.

No. 2576 is from Dr. Alan Wall, chief executive of the Higher Education Authority, HEA, dated 22 November, providing information requested by the committee in respect of the use of occasional hourly payments for staff at third level institutions and the use of such payments in place of employment contracts. The HEA states it will liaise with the higher education institutions to collate the information and will provide a report to the committee. We welcome that step and will wait to see the report when it arrives. We have put the issue on the authority's agenda and it will deal with it.

No. 2577 is from Mr. John McKeon, Secretary General of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, dated 25 November, providing information requested by the committee in respect of a perceived discrepancy between oral information provided at our meeting on 7 November and a parliamentary question answered on 12 November. The matter relates to whether data of individuals were being stored outside the State. Deputy Catherine Murphy tabled the parliamentary question.