Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development to meet with President of the European Court of Auditors, Mr Tony Murphy

The Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development will meet tomorrow, Wednesday, 1 October, with Mr Tony Murphy, President of the European Court of Auditors, on matters relating to Special Reports and Reviews on Social Protection and Rural Development Issues.

Speaking ahead of the meeting at 9:30am in Committee Room 3, Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy John Paul O’Shea said: “The European Court of Auditors is one of the seven institutions of the European Union and this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. The Court’s roles include examining all revenue and expenditure of the EU, providing a Statement of Assurance on the reliability of accounts, contributing to fighting fraud, and assisting the European Parliament and European Council in budget oversight.

“Mr Tony Murphy is the Irish nominee and current President of the Court, which is based in Luxembourg. The Committee welcomes this opportunity to meet with Mr Murphy and looks forward to discussing reports and reviews undertaken by the ECA on matters relating to both social protection and rural development.

“On the Social Protection side, Mr Murphy will expand on an ECA report published in 2025 reviewing occupational pensions and establishing a pan-European personal pension product. On the Rural and Community Development, the President will address a series of reports and reviews on the future EU cohesion policy, opportunities for the next EU budget post-2027, the durability of rural development and issues pertaining to the LEADER programme and local community development.

“The meeting provides an opportunity for members to engage on subjects high on the agenda at EU level which also have the potential to impact on citizens and communities across Ireland now and into the future.”

The Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The meeting in Committee Room 3 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.