Are the minutes of our meeting of 22 March agreed? Agreed. Does any matter arise from those minutes?
Business of Committee
And I was nearly finished with the agenda.
For the more pedantic of minds, the Chairman might go back a bit.
I was dealing with the minutes of 22 March when I asked whether any matter arose from them.
I wish to raise a matter. I might not have been present for the start of the meeting. Will the Chairman update me on the status of our banking inquiry?
I invite the clerk to respond.
Clerk to the Committee
As agreed at the last meeting of the subgroup, we have referred the consultant's synopsis for peer review, including international peer review, as the Deputy pointed out to the last group. A timeframe has been set. I do not have the date, but it will be back with us at some point around the middle of April. We will then pull a document together and take it to the subgroup with a view to bringing everything to the committee.
Is there a deadline for the peer review?
Clerk to the Committee
Around 15 or 16 April. Mr. Finnegan provided us with the date.
What would be the timeframe for its consideration by the subgroup and the main committee?
Clerk to the Committee
Probably within one week of each other. It is important that the subgroup takes a good look at the results of the peer review.
If the deadline is 15 April, could the committee aim for 22 April or thereabouts?
Clerk to the Committee
I cannot be tied to that timeframe. It will be soon after that date.
When the peer review is received, will the subgroup be made aware of that?
Clerk to the Committee
Yes. It is important we get the peer review first.
A huge body of work has been undertaken under the direction of the Chairman and clerk to the committee and his officials. Clearly the next benchmark is the peer review. Perhaps we could have a meeting of the subgroup when we return.
Clerk to the Committee
Yes.
We would be aiming for delivering it to the Dáil a week or ten days after that.
Clerk to the Committee
Yes, that is the timeframe. The peer review will give us the roadmap in terms of the direction of an investigation. That is what we want to put before the Dáil. That has not been so far at any stage in the banking inquiry.
We could be considering it on 22 April.
Clerk to the Committee
Yes.
It would then be up to the committee how quickly it wants to deal with it in terms of putting it before the Dáil.
Clerk to the Committee
Yes.
Would it be ambitious to think it might be considered on 19 April, which is a Thursday?
Clerk to the Committee
Yes. A number of peer reviews are being done. We will then have to pull all of them together into a document.
They have to be examined.
Clerk to the Committee
Yes. We will need to ensure we do not have a conflicting document in the context of one peer reviewing saying one thing and another saying something else.
We asked the officials last week to tighten the dates as much as possible because we are anxious to get it to a point of conclusion.
Clerk to the Committee
Yes.
Could we aim to have it signed off on by the main committee by 26 April, which would allow ample time for the sub-committee to meet?
Clerk to the Committee
That is fair.
We can aim for that date.
Clerk to the Committee
Yes.
Or earlier, if possible.
Clerk to the Committee
Yes.
We now move to correspondence received since our meeting of 22 March. Document 3.1 is correspondence received on 26 March from Mr. John Murphy, Secretary General, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation forwarding a briefing paper on matters to be considered at today's meeting, which shall be noted and published. Document 3.2 is correspondence dated 19 March 2012 from Ms Ann Hurley, Baltimore, County Cork re County Cork VEC, which will be noted. This correspondence will also be forwarded to the Department of Education and Skills and County Cork VEC for inclusion in the notes being prepared for the committee. Document 3.3 is correspondence received on 22 March 2012 from an anonymous source re County Cork VEC, which will be noted. This correspondence will also be forwarded to the Department of Education and Skills and County Cork VEC for a note on the issues raised and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General for an appropriate follow up. Document 3.4 is correspondence received on 22 March 2012 from Ms Geraldine Tallon, Secretary General at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government re third party cost settlements for the planning tribunal, which will be noted and published. This correspondence was received last Thursday morning and was circulated. As outlined in the minutes of last Thursday's meeting the committee is seeking further information on the fees paid and also on the estimated total cost of the tribunal.
Document 3.5 is correspondence dated 16 March 2012 from Mr. Noel Wardick, Clontarf, Dublin 3 re the Irish Red Cross, which will be noted. The secretariat will prepare draft findings and recommendations on the Red Cross for our meeting on 19 April 2012. Document 3.6 is correspondence dated 13 March 2012 from Gleasure Roofing Ltd re Killarney Sports and Leisure Facility, which will be noted. This correspondence will also be forwarded to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport for a note on the issues raised. Document 3.7 is correspondence received on 22 March 2012 from an anonymous source re special needs assistants, which will be noted and published. The correspondence will also be forwarded to the Department of Education and Skills for a note on the issues raised.
Document 3.8 is correspondence received on 20 March 2012 from Mr. Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Ryanair re commission for aviation regulation, which will be noted and published. We have scheduled the Commission to appear before the committee on 28 June 2012 and any issues raised by Mr. O'Leary can be dealt with at that meeting. Document 3.9 is correspondence dated 22 March 2012 from the chief executive of Fáilte Ireland re response to correspondence forwarded by the committee from Mr. John Kinsella, which will be noted. We have received a huge file from Mr. Quinn, with copies of previous correspondence with Mr. Kinsella. As Mr. Quinn outlined in the cover letter, Mr. Kinsella has been corresponding to Failte Ireland and its predecessors since 2000. He has also written to various Ministers and in recent times he has included this committee on his list. There is nothing we can do at this stage for Mr. Kinsella. We will write to him accordingly.
Document 3.10 is correspondence dated 27 March 2012 from Mr. John Murphy, Secretary General, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation re his opening statement, to be noted and published. Document 3.11 is correspondence dated 28 March 2012 from Mr. John Moriarty, Dublin Waterworld Limited re National Aquatic Centre, incorrect VAT charge, which will be noted and published. This correspondence will also be forwarded to the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport for inclusion in the notes being prepared for the committee. We will look at this issue regarding the National Aquatic Centre at a private meeting on 19 April. It is hoped we will at that meeting conclude or at least set out the recommendations we are making for agreement by members.
We now move on to reports, statements and accounts received since our meeting of 22 March 2012. Documents 4.1 to 4.7 cover the Athlone Institute of Technology, County Cavan VEC, Waterford City Enterprise Board, Waterford County Enterprise Board, Westmeath County Enterprise Board, Medical Bureau of Road Safety and the Institute of Technology Carlow, which shall all be noted.
We now move on to our work programme to the summer recess. The bodies to be examined have not changed from last week but we have had to change certain dates to accommodate various Accounting Officers. The programme has to be flexible in that we may take other issues but these Accounting Officers are now on notice. As the referendum is now scheduled for 31 May, I propose that we do not meet on that date. Is that agreed? Agreed.
As to the lead speakers, members can swap if they so wish. Do members have any comment on the work programme?
We now move on to any other business. Would members like to raise any particular issues?
With regard to our discussions on the role of the local authorities and our ability to engage with them, which discussion was in the context of the Greyhound and Poolbeg issues, the Chairman made the point that we might at some point have to reconsider the role of this committee in light of possible changes in the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Local Authority Audit Services. Do we know when this change is likely to take place and what impact it might have on our role?
Change in terms of the local government audit services and this committee is a matter for the Minister.
Okay.
While this is mentioned in-----
Clerk to the Committee
It is mentioned in the public service reform package. I will prepare a note on the matter for our meeting on 19 April. I will find out from the Department what has happened in the meantime.
The Chairman has indicated that the clerk is working on a Private Members' motion on this matter. I am raising it in the context of the debate on the household charge. One of the points being made is that this stream of funding will be going directly to the local authorities. There are concerns regarding whether local authority funding is being used in the most efficient way possible. Currently, we do not have any role in this regard. I would be eager to see that changed during the lifetime of this committee. It is evident to me there is as much work to be done in that area in terms of oversight of taxpayers money as there is in respect of work with central government bodies.
I submitted a Private Members' Bill.
When will it come before the Dáil?
It is included in the lottery. I had hoped the Minister might bring forward his own legislation on the back of that Bill.
That is what is required. There is a need to chase the €5 billion per annum of taxpayers' money spent by local government. There needs to be proper structures put in place. The Deputy is correct that we have had this discussion before. Perhaps the clerk will write to the Minister to determine the position in respect of the legislation and in regard to reform of this committee, from the Government's point of view. He could link this to appointment of a new Comptroller and Auditor General, which might give us the impetus to have a debate or to progress the legislation to make that happen.
It is up to Government to make decisions on Bills. My Bill is in place and the Government might consider using it.
Sure.
The next business is the agenda for Thursday, 19 April, which will be a private meeting. I was hoping we would deal with the Red Cross matter and determine how we will conclude. We must conclude some of these issues. The National Aquatic Centre is a similar issue and we must finish with it. Once we get the staffing issues sorted out, our recommendations will come hard and fast after each meeting but right now we are dealing with some legacy matters, even those from the older committee. We will get that sorted at the meeting on Thursday, 19 April. Is that agreed? Agreed.