John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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Everyone is welcome to today's meeting. We have received apologies from Deputy Paul Murphy.

Before we proceed, I have a few housekeeping matters to go through. Members are reminded of the provisions of Standing Order 226, whereby the committee shall refrain from inquiring into the merits of a policy or policies of the Government or a Minister of the Government, or the merits of the objectives of such policies. Members are also reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I remind members of the constitutional requirement that in order to participate in public meetings, members must be physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex. Members of the committee attending remotely must do so from within the precincts of Leinster House.

The agenda for today is to discuss the minutes, accounts and statements, correspondence and upcoming meetings. We will then suspend and begin our engagement with officials from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission at 10.30 a.m.

The minutes of the meeting of 21 May 2026 were agreed by the committee in its private session. They will be published on the committee's website in due course.

One set of accounts and financial statements was laid between 18 and 22 May 2026. It is due to be considered today. We are joined by the secretary and director of audit, Ms Colette Drinan, representing the Comptroller and Auditor General, who is a permanent witness to the committee. I ask Ms Drinan to address this matter before opening the floor to members.