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

I remind members of the joint committee, witnesses and those in the Visitors Gallery to ensure that their mobile telephones are switched off, or are on aeroplane mode rather than on silent, because they do interfere with the broadcasting of our proceedings. We are being broadcast live today on UPC. It is also unfair to staff whose hearing is disturbed by mobile telephones going off.

This is our quarterly meeting with the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, and the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, as well as the director general designate of the HSE, Mr. Tony O'Brien, and their officials. They are all welcome.

It has been a busy term for this committee, so I wish to thank all the members for their patience, assistance and co-operation. Before we commence today's business, as Chairman of the committee and on behalf of the members and clerk of the committee, I wish to thank and pay tribute to Ms Mary Lindsay who is leaving us.

Mary has been magnificent as a member of staff of the Committee on Health and Children. Her work has been outstanding and she has often been here at unsociable hours in the morning and late at night over the past two and half years. She is leaving us to transfer to the finance unit and I wish her every success in her career and thank her for her friendship, diligence, patience and courtesy to me and other members of the committee, particularly during our six days of hearings on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013. We will miss her.