Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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We cannot compel it to come because it is not accountable to the Committee of Public Accounts. The request can be made. That can be done but, certainly, there can be no means of compelling its representatives to attend because it is a private company. Once upon a time, it was a semi-State but even commercial semi-States are not compelled, although if that was the case, there would be a greater level of expectation that it would attend. At this stage, however, Eir has been a private company since 1999. I suggest, to be fair to Deputy Dillon, that we put it off until the next meeting of the committee and we deal with it then, finally, one way or the other. I do not want to defer it any longer. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The next item on the agenda is the work programme. Next week is a non-sitting week due to Lá le Pádraig. The week after that, on 24 March, we will engage with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. As usual, if there are any particular matters of interest to members that they would like to receive a briefing on in advance of the meeting, please let the clerk know.

On 31 March, we will commence a series of justice-related meetings for which the following engagements have been confirmed: An Garda Síochána on 31 March, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission for the morning of 7 April and the Policing Authority for the afternoon of 7 April. There are then two non-sitting weeks scheduled for Easter, which means that the next meeting after Easter will be on 28 April. That will be with the Department of Justice - there are a good few justice-related issues coming up - and will examine the appropriation account of the Department and the Irish Prison Service. That is the last confirmed meeting.

We previously agreed that we will engage with the University of Limerick, the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform after the meeting with the Department of Justice, but these meetings have not yet been scheduled. On matters in the public domain regarding the Department of Health and the HSE, we previously agreed that we would examine any prior year's adjustment to the HSE’s accounts once the Comptroller and Auditor General has audited the HSE’s 2021 financial statements and they are laid before the House. The committee did that for a good reason. Some of the stuff in the media did not reflect that or the intentions of the committee. The committee's intentions were not represented and, to some extent, were misrepresented.

In respect of other issues we have identified from reports in the public domain concerning the Department of Health and the HSE, we have yet to decide whether to address them as part of our engagement on the HSE’s 2021 financial statements or to hold a separate hearing before the summer. The next available date is 5 May. We could look to schedule the University of Limerick, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform or the Department of Finance in May as well. I will open it to members, including Deputies Dillon, Carthy or anybody else who wants to come in on that. What order do members wish to take those meetings in? Does anybody have any views on that? Okay. The next available date is 5 May. We could schedule a prior hearing with the HSE and the Department of Health for that date, if it is the wish of the committee. Is that agreed? Agreed.

We then have the University of Limerick and the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform and Finance in May as well. I will request the secretariat try to schedule those meetings.

Obviously, it will depend on their availability as well. We had quite a strong engagement with the HSE and the Department of Health this morning so we will check that.

For the month of May, we will have the HSE and the Department of Health on the same day. We will try to schedule a meeting with the University of Limerick because there are a number of issues relating to it that we want to examine. We can try to schedule meetings with the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform and Finance. We will leave that with the secretariat and ask it to get dates that are suitable for all involved and that fit in with our work programme.

Are there any other matters members wish to raise regarding the work programme? If not, that concludes our consideration of the work programme for today.

The final item is any other business. Do any members wish to raise any other matters? No. The committee will now go into private session before adjourning until 24 March 2022, when it will engage with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland regarding its 2020 financial statements.