Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform debate -
Thursday, 27 Feb 2014

The Joint Committee met at 10:00 a.m.

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly	Deputy Mary Lou McDonald
Deputy Sean Fleming	Deputy Catherine Murphy,+
Deputy Brendan Howlin (Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform)	Deputy Dara Murphy
Deputy Heather Humphreys	Deputy Dan Neville,*
Deputy Kevin Humphreys,*	Deputy Arthur Spring.

* In the absence of Deputies Regina Doherty and Michael Creed, respectively.

+ In the absence of Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly, for part of meeting.

In attendance: Deputies Lucinda Creighton, Terence Flanagan, Peter Mathews and Denis Naughten.

DEPUTY LIAM TWOMEY IN THE CHAIR.

Vice Chairman

I welcome the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, and his officials. The purpose of the meeting is to consider the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013 which was referred to the select sub-committee by Dáil Éireann on 29 January 2014.

I remind members that we are in public session and that all mobile telephones must be switched off to avoid interference with the broadcasting of the meeting.