John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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No apologies have been received from members unable to attend. I will begin with a few housekeeping matters.

First, in accordance with Standing Orders, I wish to make the following declaration:

I do solemnly declare that I will duly and faithfully and to the best of my knowledge and ability execute the office of Cathaoirleach of the Committee of Public Accounts without fear or favour, apply the rules as laid down by this House in an impartial and fair manner, and maintain order and uphold the rights and privileges of Members in accordance with the Constitution and Standing Orders.

I remind members of the constitutional requirement that in order to participate in public meetings, they must be physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex. Members of the committee attending remotely must do so from within the confines of Leinster House. This is due to the constitutional requirement that in order to participate in public meetings, members must be physically present within the confines of the place where Parliament has chosen to sit. In this regard, I ask any members participating via Microsoft Teams, prior to making their contribution, to confirm they are on the grounds of the Leinster House campus.

I welcome members to the first meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts of the Thirty-fourth Dáil. I am honoured to be selected as Cathaoirleach of this critically important committee, which focuses on ensuring public services are run efficiently and taxpayers' money is spent effectively. I welcome back Deputy McAuliffe, who served on the committee in the previous term, and Deputy Connolly, who served in the term before that. I also welcome the newly elected Members who have the honour of sitting on the Committee of Public Accounts. I acknowledge the contribution of Deputy McAuliffe to the committee in the previous term. I served alongside him and recall his contribution to achieving greater accountability and transparency in all public finances.

As members of the Committee of Public Accounts, it is our collective responsibility to ensure the committee is effective in fulfilling its remit. That remit, as delegated by the Oireachtas, includes accountability to the committee by the public sector bodies that are responsible for approximately 285 sets of accounts and financial statements that are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General. There is a lot of good work done in the public sector and we should recognise that where it is evident. However, our focus must be on ensuring our citizens get the very best services and the best possible value for public money.

One of the most pressing issues I intend to prioritise is the massive profiteering in the provision of accommodation for those seeking asylum in this State. People have become millionaires by providing sometimes poor-quality accommodation in a deeply flawed system, while communities have lost vital local facilities, including hotels. The State has paid out billions of euro with very little transparency. There are increasing reports of companies with no track record being awarded substantial contracts. International protection accommodation services, IPAS, costs reached €1 billion last year and are projected to exceed €1.2 billion in the year ahead. This committee has a critical role in scrutinising how these contracts are awarded and whether they deliver value for money for the taxpayer.

It is critically important that we examine expenditure related to the national children's hospital, the costs of which have soared to more than €2.24 billion.

Deputy McAuliffe is aware of some of the challenges we had previously in terms of getting some of those critical bodies in before the public accounts committee and I will return to that later on.

As I said, there was deep frustration and disappointment for members of the previous PAC when key witnesses from the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board and Children's Health Ireland, CHI, were unavailable to come before the committee. I will move quickly to invite those bodies into the PAC to get some of the many very important questions answered.

I also believe that the PAC must look closely at spending by the Arts Council, particularly the €6.7 million invested in a failed IT system. Such a significant outlay with no outcome cannot go unchecked. Finally, we must give particular scrutiny to the extremely serious issue of bogus self-employment. This is a systemic problem in many sectors, not just in the likes of RTÉ or the gig economy. It is now a major issue for postmasters to name but one other key area. It not only undermines workers' rights but places an unjust financial burden on the State and I believe the PAC has a duty to expose how and why these practices continue and to assess the real cost to the public purse.

As a committee, I hope we will work together. We have a strong track record in the past of working in a spirit of co-operation and unity and I look forward to hearing members' views as we progress together on this very important committee. I open it up to members who have comments or who want to make contributions at this point.