Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome to this afternoon's meeting Mr. Jimmy Johnson, president, Mr. Kieron Brennan, chief executive officer, Ms Fiona Cullen, head of legal department, and Mr. John Knox, of the research department, from the Irish League of Credit Unions, ILCU, as well as Mr. Michael Edwards, vice-president of the World Council of Credit Unions, WOCCU. Members have received a PowerPoint presentation and the format of this afternoon's meeting will be that we will take the aforementioned presentation first. Mr. Brennan and his colleagues will take members through it briefly. Thereafter, we will move to a question-and-answer session on the substantive submission made by the league to the public consultation process run by the Department of Finance that concluded last August.

I remind members, witnesses and those in the public gallery that all mobile telephones must be switched off. The meeting is being broadcast by UPC on its 801 channel and if a mobile telephone is switched on, it almost certainly will interfere with the broadcast, even if it is in silent mode, sometimes to the extent that the broadcast is disrupted seriously and those watching cannot follow or hear the questions being asked or the answers given. Consequently, I ask everyone to disable their mobile telephones.

I wish to advise the witnesses in the normal way that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. However, if they are directed to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against a person, persons or an entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Members similarly are advised and reminded of the long-standing ruling of the Chair 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 Mr. Brennan to lead off for the delegation.