Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No, but there is correspondence on the matter.

I remind members, witnesses and those in the Gallery to ensure their mobile phones are switched off completely for the duration of the meeting as they cause interference to the recording equipment, even on silent mode. I will wait for the people in the Gallery to be seated before introducing the witnesses.

Before introducing witnesses from Chambers Ireland, I welcome the post-graduate students from University College, Cork, who are with us today. They are studying for a masters in business studies in international public policy and diplomacy of government. They are all welcome and it is good to see third level students coming to committee meetings in Leinster House.

We are here to discuss economic recovery, on which we are compiling a report. There will be a presentation from Chambers Ireland, and we are joined by Mr. Ian Talbot, chief executive; and Mr. Seán Murphy, deputy chief executive. I met Mr. Talbot and Mr. Murphy before in conjunction with Eurochambres. That was around October and I also met the secretary general of Eurochambres, Mr. Arnaldo Abruzzini, an Italian, on a short visit to Dublin.

Mr. Talbot and Mr. Murphy are here to offer the views of Chambers Ireland on trade promotion in the context of a series of meetings and other activities which the committee have been undertaking with regard to trade promotion and the role of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in economic recovery. Chambers Ireland is well placed to communicate views on behalf of Irish business, as it represents Ireland's largest business network, with 60 member chambers, representing more than 13,000 businesses across the country. It is a significant number of businesses to represent.

The aim of the committee's examination is to prepare and publish a report on the strategy and response of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to the economic crisis; the Department's newly recognised responsibilities in trade and promotion; the programme for Government in terms of trade promotion and economic and reputational recovery; and how well the Department is performing in these projects. I look forward to a good meeting here today with Chambers Ireland in that context.

Before I invite Mr. Talbot to make his presentation, I advise him and Mr. Murphy that they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of utterances at this committee meeting. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease making remarks on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their remarks. They are directed that only comments and evidence in regard to the subject matter of this meeting are to be given and they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against a Member of either House of the Oireachtas, a person outside the Houses or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I ask Mr. Talbot to commence and I thank the delegation for coming here this afternoon.