Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Dr. Michelle Norris, chairperson, and Mr. Barry O'Leary, chief executive officer from the Housing Finance Agency; Mr. Simon Brooke, head of policy, Mr. Cathal Callan, director of finance, and Ms Kathleen Cottier, regional director, of Clúid Housing Association; and Mr. Cian Ó Lionáin Uasal, principal officer, housing division, and Ms Sheila Power, assistant principal officer, housing division, from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

By virtue of section 17(2)(l ) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. If witnesses are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. Witnesses are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is 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 any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. I remind members 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 propose to take the witnesses in the following order - the Housing Finance Agency, Clúid Housing Association and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The Government housing statement of 2011 has placed the voluntary housing sector at the centre of a vision in terms of the provision of housing. Today, there are 700 bodies with approved status managing 27,000 houses in Ireland. These are large numbers and, accordingly, the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, intends to put a regulatory framework in place that will include governance and management structures. A consultation process is currently under way on the voluntary code and the committee would like to make an input. This is one of the reasons all the witnesses were invited to appear before the committee.

I hope we can identify issues and elaborate on policy matters as our deliberations proceed. I invite Dr. Michelle Norris to address the committee.