The minutes of the meeting of 5 February have been circulated. Are they agreed? Agreed.
I want to deal with correspondence before we proceed to the substantive business of this meeting.
Item 68 is a letter from the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance discussing the expansion of select committees' remits from the scrutiny of Estimates to annual output statements to value for money reviews of Departments. I do not know whether members have had an opportunity to consider that letter but I would like the committee to agree to reply to it indicating that we support everything the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance has said regarding a more detailed discussion on the Estimates procedure which will now include details of the output statement from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the issue of value for money and policy reviews of Departments - in our case, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. We fully support the improvements in this regard but ask the Minister to consider making further enhancements to the process for future years in order that we could consider the Estimates in the month of December.
The Estimates were referred to all the Oireachtas committees last Thursday and we hope to deal with ours early in March, that is, to approve the Estimates of expenditure for 2008, bearing in mind that two and a half months will have elapsed. There is a delay. Now that the Estimates are published almost in full on budget day, it would be appropriate for committees to consider their Estimates in advance of the year commencing. Is that agreed? Agreed.
Item 69 relates to local authority development charges for businesses. It is a copy of a letter enclosing a research paper on the subject of local authority business charges from Chambers Ireland. I am sure the issue of local government reform will be on our agenda during the year. We will note this matter as part of that.
Item 70 is the European climate policy newsletter, which we will note. Item 71 relates to European scrutiny and the schedule listing of proposals for information. We are not requested to do anything specific other than to note it. Is that agreed? Agreed. We will note item 72 relating to European scrutiny documentation.
Item 73 is a letter from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Science which discussed the issue of school water charges at length on 18 December. It has forwarded us minutes of its meeting on 18 December and the motion sent to the Ministers for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Education and Science. I propose we note the correspondence. Since another committee has already discussed this matter in detail, we will not get into a detailed discussion on it. We will note that committee's correspondence and role in the matter.
Item 74 is a letter on boundary alternations from the private secretary of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. It concerns information on boundary alterations in respect of our letter of 25 January 2008 seeking further information on this topic. I have not had the opportunity to read it. If other members have not had the opportunity to do so, we will defer that topic until the next day.
Item 75 is from the press office of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government regarding the death of two white-tailed eagles. I suggest we note the correspondence. Item 76 is another press release from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government regarding special housing aid. I believe every member has received documentation on the housing aid scheme, so we can discuss it at a later date if needs be.
I received an e-mail from the communications office in Leinster House advising that the 2008 annual Oireachtas report will contain photographs of each member of the committee, so I ask that all members are present at our next meeting to be photographed in order that they will feature in the annual report. We will include a note on that when we circulate the agenda for the next meeting, although I believe the next committee meeting might be a select committee one dealing with legislation.