Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Good afternoon everybody, and welcome. We are joined by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with responsibility for heritage and electoral reform, Deputy Noonan, and the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with responsibility for local government and planning, Deputy O'Donnell. I welcome them back to the committee and I am glad they are here.

We have had a series of meetings on Housing for All. We have had local authority representatives in from the cities, the greater Dublin area and more rural local authorities. We have also had the approved housing bodies, AHBs, in and we have had a range of contributors. The purpose of the meetings was to look at the historical production of housing, the current figures on social housing currently and the trajectory. They have been helpful sessions.

I welcome back the Minister's officials, who were with us only last week in what was a helpful and informative session. We have had 12 or 14 meetings at this stage and we propose to compile a report setting out our findings from those meetings. This is the final meeting and it is apt that the Minister is here with his officials and the Ministers of State, Deputies Noonan and Deputy O'Donnell, to help us bring this series of meetings to an end.

I will read a brief note on privilege before I invite the Minister to make his opening statement. I remind members of the constitutional requirement that they must be physically present within the confines of the place in which the Parliament has chosen to sit, namely, Leinster House, in order to participate in public meetings. Witnesses attending in the committee room are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their contributions. This means they will have an absolute defence against any defamation action for anything they say at the meeting. Members and witnesses are expected not to abuse the privilege they enjoy. It is my duty as Chair to ensure this privilege is not abused. Therefore, if any statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, the speaker will be directed to discontinue his or her remarks. It is imperative that the speaker complies with any such direction. Members and witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I invite the Minister to make his opening statement.