Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone for attending. I remind members, officials and those in the public Gallery that mobile phones should be switched off so that the sound quality for broadcasting purposes will not be interfered with.

I welcome the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, and the Ministers of State at the Department of Health, Deputies Alex White and Kathleen Lynch. This is Deputy White's first visit to the committee as Minister of State and I congratulate him on his appointment. I welcome Mr. Tony O'Brien, director general designate of the Health Service Executive and thank him for being here on his first visit to our quarterly meeting. I also welcome Ms Laverne McGuinness from the HSE, Ms Bairbre Nic Aongusa from the Department of Health and other officials.

I remind members that 20 members have submitted questions to the committee and members will be afforded the opportunity to ask a supplementary question to the written question they have submitted. There will not be an opportunity to ask a different question, but I will allow members to contribute.

The meeting will consist of two parts. In the first part, the Minister will brief the committee on the European Council meeting. Deputies Ó Caoláin and Kelleher and the spokesperson for the technical group will each have two minutes to respond and other members will have one minute each to respond. The second part will be our quarterly update meeting when the Minister and Mr. O'Brien will each have ten minutes to speak. Members of the Opposition may also speak for ten minutes.

I welcome the Minister and thank him for being here. On behalf of the Joint Committee on Health and Children, I express our sympathy to the husband and wider family of the late Ms Savita Halappanavar who died in tragic circumstances in University Hospital Galway last month. I am sure the Minister and Mr. O'Brien will want to comment on this tragedy in their opening remarks. It is important that the committee express its deepest sympathy to the family on their tragic loss.

I thank members who spoke on the issue in private session last week.

By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they are to give this committee. If a witness is directed by the committee to cease giving evidence in relation to a particular matter and the witness continues to so do, the witness is entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of his or her evidence. Witnesses are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and witnesses are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise nor make charges against any person or persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official by name in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

Before we commence our quarterly discussion of health issues, I invite the Minister, Deputy Reilly, to make an opening statement regarding his attendance at the forthcoming European Council meeting.