Are the minutes of the last meeting agreed? Agreed. Arising from the minutes, NAMA has confirmed that the latest possible time for members to meet its representatives next Tuesday is 11.30 a.m. We can either agree to that or seek another date. It is Tuesday morning.
Business of Committee
We should ask for another date.
Has NAMA provided an alternative?
We will get back to it for an alternative date and time as we would like to have as many members as possible there. We want to accommodate Deputy Harris, who is very busy.
Thank you very much.
The next item is correspondence received since the meeting of Thursday, 3 April 2014, beginning with correspondence from Accounting Officers or Ministers. There is correspondence dated 31 March from the Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality with follow-up information requested by the Committee of Public Accounts on 13 March 2014. There is correspondence dated 28 March 2014 from the chairman of the Office of Public Works regarding expenditure for unoccupied office space by the Law Reform Commission. There is correspondence dated 31 March 2014 from the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with follow-up information requested at the Committee of Public Accounts meeting of 13 March 2014, to be noted and published. There is correspondence dated 9 April 2014 from the HSE with an update on remuneration paid to senior management of section 38 agencies, to be noted and published.
The next item is individual correspondence. There is correspondence dated 31 March 2014 from the chairman of the Office of Public Works regarding the Jewish Museum, to be noted and a copy sent to Ms Margaret Carroll. There is correspondence dated 31 March 2014 from Ms Deirdre Murphy regarding redundancy from Wexford Local Development, to be noted and a copy forwarded to the Department for a note on the matter. There is correspondence dated 3 April 2014 from the Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality to reply to the issues of concern to Mr. Patrick Kinsella, to be noted and a copy forwarded to Mr. Kinsella.
The next item is correspondence relevant to today's meeting. Correspondence was received on 4 April from Mr. Brian Kerr, chairman of Rehab, regarding attendance at the meeting today, to be noted and published. There is correspondence received from Ms Niamh O'Donoghue, Secretary General of the Department of Social Protection, regarding payments to the Rehab Group, to be noted and published. There is correspondence dated 9 April 2014, received from Eames Solicitors, Smithfield, Dublin 7, regarding Ms Angela Kerins's attendance at the meeting today, to be noted and published. This relates to the inability of Ms Kerins to attend this meeting, which we dealt with last night, and which we will deal with again at the beginning of today's hearing. There is correspondence from 9 April 2014 from Mr. Frank Flannery regarding his attendance at the meeting today, to be noted and published. Again, this relates to today's meeting and we will deal with it when the witnesses are in the room. There is correspondence dated 9 April 2014 received from Mr. Brian Kerr clarifying matters previously raised by the committee, to be noted and published.
The next item is reports and statements on accounts received since 3 April 2014. With regard to the Health Research Board, attention is drawn to note 15 on the financial statement, which discloses non-effective expenditure of €228,552 incurred by the board on rent and associated costs related to unoccupied office space since the beginning of 2009, with €57,138 of this relating to 2012. The accounts are to be noted and we should get a note on what steps are being taken to deal with this non-effective expenditure.
The next item is the work programme and it is displayed on the screens for members. We have asked for a meeting with Road Safety Authority officials.
Clerk to the Committee
The invitation is in train.
We should ask for any correspondence or documentation the authority might have relating to the penalty points issue. It had sight of various reports, so if the representatives have correspondence relating to it, such as correspondence to the Garda Commissioner and correspondence to and from the Oireachtas and the Government, they might submit it prior to the meeting so we will have a full file before us for that hearing.
The other matter is whether we can get a note on the sale of Bord Gáis. I know it is not within our remit but perhaps we could get a note on the details of that sale in respect of how figures were arrived at and the final outcomes.
Is the work programme agreed? Agreed.
To clarify, we have scheduled the section 38 bodies for 17 July. Is it planned to seek an update from the HSE before then? According to the newspaper today, it has turned down a number of business cases that have been made by section 38 organisations. Can we find out the position from the HSE? It appears that information is being made available to the media that we might be able to see.
It also appears that a substantial number of business plans have been submitted, over and above what we thought in the first place, and that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will examine these business plans before a decision is made. Perhaps we could get a note on the process and the current position.
Clerk to the Committee
No. 3A.4 is an update from this morning on the business cases. The letter indicates that a full report will be coming.
Any other question?
With regard to the Central Remedial Clinic, CRC, we are due to receive a report from the administrator. Is that correct?
Yes.
Do we know if that is on schedule?
He is finishing up and I understand the report will be made available to the HSE in the first instance. We have asked the HSE if it will engage with the clerk to the committee to establish a date within our work programme to deal with it, and as early as possible.
Clerk to the Committee
We have given the HSE an indicative date.
Is that early in May?
Clerk to the Committee
Yes.
Have we suggested some dates?
Clerk to the Committee
Yes, 15 May.
If that can be done earlier and we can all be accommodated, that will be fine.
The sooner, the better. I submitted a pile of freedom of information requests to the CRC and it refused them on the grounds that the administrator was holding an inquiry.
As there is no other business members wish to discuss or raise, we will proceed to the next item. Is the meeting agenda for 1 May 2014 agreed? The agenda is as follows: the 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts, Chapter 16 - Expenditure on Welfare and Employment Schemes; Chapter 17 - Social Welfare Payments; Chapter 18 - Overpayments and Debts; Chapter 19 - Domiciliary Care Allowance; Chapter 20 - Invalidity Pensions; and Vote 37 - Social Protection and the Social Insurance Fund Annual Accounts 2012. Is that agreed? Agreed.
At the last meeting we agreed that the committee would invite the group that was making representations regarding the procurement process. We wish to establish an early date for that and to invite Mr. Quinn to that meeting.
Clerk to the Committee
Yes, that is correct.
That should be put into the work programme as soon as possible.