Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I was interested in how it happened before an actual decision was made on it. It is putting the cart before the horse, so to speak.

There is a considerable amount of documentation with that item which members may find useful and wish to refer to again.

Crrespondence No. 1494B is from Mr. Michael Fitzgerald, chief officer, HSE community healthcare organisation, 4. It arises from last week’s engagement with the HSE, during which certain information provided by the HSE was subsequently queried. This item got a fair thrashing out this morning. I know Deputy Hourigan had a particular interest in it. If members are okay with that, we will move on.

I want to revert to No. R1492 as it was not addressed. Correspondence No. 1492, dated 20 October 2022, is from Mr. David Moloney, Accounting Officer and Secretary General, related to our work programme and the engagements we have scheduled with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and concerns on the agenda for the engagement. This item was only received yesterday and I am not sure if members have had a chance to consider it. At our meeting last week, we agreed that the agenda is as follows: taken from the Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2021, chapter 3, on Vote accounting and budget management; and chapter 4, on the re-allocation of Voted funding; format and content of the appropriation accounts and the associated circular; and value for money and spending reviews, which is an area we have been dealing with recently.

We also agreed to advise the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform that the closure of the Benefacts database and the Department's correspondence concerning expenditure on the National Maternity Hospital, considered the week before last, in correspondence No. R1426, might also be raised. The Benefacts database is an area which we have been trying to give attention to and scrutinise.

Given the range of material to be covered, and to avoid crowding the agenda, it was decided not to include the appropriation accounts for this meeting and to consider scheduling a further meeting at a later date. The Secretary General has requested the committee to consider including the relevant appropriation accounts which are: Vote 11 - Office of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform; Vote 12 - superannuation and retired allowances; Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement, and Vote 43 - Office of the Government Chief Information Officer. The Secretary General makes the case that this was done at the meeting last May, and that the appropriation accounts provide the basis for discussing some of the other matters that will be raised.

Are members happy to proceed with the agenda as agreed last week or is there a preference to examine the relevant appropriation accounts as requested by Mr. Moloney?

It was left off because we felt it was crowding out the meeting but the Secretary General is making the case here that the appropriation accounts would provide the basis for discussing some of the matters that will be raised and that we have highlighted. It is in the committee members' hands at this stage.