Apologies have been received from Senator O'Toole. The draft minutes of the meeting of 25 October have been circulated. Are they agreed? Agreed.
We have an item of correspondence from Senator John Paul Phelan which we will leave until he arrives. We have an e-mail from Mr. Kevin Leydon dated 19 October which we will note. We also have an e-mail dated 26 October from a credit card company seeking a meeting to discuss a variety of issues. We decided at an earlier meeting not to meet it.
We have a letter dated 20 October from a finance union requesting a meeting to discuss a pensions issue with a bank. I suggest we write to the Bank of Ireland on the matter. Is that agreed? Agreed.
We have an e-mail from the Department of Finance which we will note. We also have an e-mail from MS Ireland which we will refer to the Department of Finance for further consideration. Is that agreed? Agreed.
We have received the fourth progress report on cohesion entitled The Growth and Jobs Strategy and the Reform of the European Cohesion Policy, which we will note. A copy is available on request from the clerk. We have also received the quarterly bulletin from the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland, which we will note. A copy is also available on request from the clerk. We have a letter dated 20 October containing the annual report of the European Court of Auditors for 2005, which we will note. A copy of the report is available on request.
We have an e-mail dated 1 November from the Department of Foreign Affairs outlining the agenda for forthcoming EU Council meetings, which we will note. Members have a list of statutory instruments which I will not go through in front of them. They are noted.
The clerk received a letter from the clerk to the Sub-Committee on EU Scrutiny dated 26 October. Members should note that COM (2006) 247 is an amended proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on mutual administrative assistance for the protection of the financial interests of the Community against fraud and other illegal activities. The proposal has been referred to us for further scrutiny. A copy is available on request. COM (2006) 507 is a proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and the Council amending Council Directive 92/49/EEC, as well as Directives 2002/83/EC, 2005/68/EC and 2006/48/EC, on procedural rules and evaluation criteria for the prudential assessment of acquisitions and increase of shareholdings in the sector. The proposal has been referred to the committee for further scrutiny. A copy is available on request.
We have received an e-mail, which we will note, from the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding the latest agendas for the GAERC meetings on 13 and 14 November. We also received an e-mail, which we will note, from the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding the meeting of the Council of the European Union on 7 November.
We have received an acknowledgement of a letter sent to the Department of Finance requesting information on retired prison officers. We met the relevant association at our last meeting and will note the correspondence.
We have received a pre-budget submission from the Combat Poverty Agency which we will note. A copy is available on request.