Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As we have a quorum we will commence the meeting. We are now in public session. I advise members to turn off their mobile telephones while attending committee meetings. Active mobile telephones interfere with the sound system and RTÉ has informed us that it will not broadcast any part of a meeting where interference from mobile telephones has occurred.

Apologies have been received from Deputies Noel Coonan and Michael McCarthy. Before we begin I wish to read into the record of the meeting an item of correspondence we have received. It relates to the appearance of the Genealogical Society of Ireland and the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland at our meeting on 10 December 2013. It is addressed to the Clerk to the Committee, dated 11 December 2013 and entitled ‘Classification & Correction of Record’. It is from Mr. Michael Merrigan, General Secretary of the Genealogical Society of Ireland and it reads as follows:

A Chléirigh, a Chara,
At the meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee held on Tuesday 10th December 2013 a reference was made to myself, Michael Merrigan, in the opening address by the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland (APGI) which was unfortunately and, no doubt, unintentionally, factually incorrect.
Therefore, I wish to clarify the matter in order that the record may be corrected in the interest of historical accuracy.
The reference to me acting as 'General Secretary' of the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations (CIGO) during the passage of the Statistics Bill through Seanad Éireann in 1993 is factually incorrect.
I was acting for and on behalf of the Dún Laoghaire Genealogical Society, the forerunner of the Genealogical Society of Ireland, and no other genealogical organisations were involved.
Furthermore, in the interest of historical accuracy, please note that the Statistics Bill was signed into law on July 14th 1993 and that the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations (CIGO) was only established on July 9th 1994 at a meeting held at the Royal Marine Hotel, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin - almost exactly one year after the enactment of the Statistics Act, 1993.
I would be obliged if you could kindly read the above into the record of the Oireachtas Joint Committee for clarification and historical accuracy.
Go raibh míle maith agat.

Mise le meas,

Michael Merrigan, MA, FGSI

General Secretary
Genealogical Society of Ireland.

I propose that we note this correspondence and inform the Genealogical Society of Ireland that it has been read into the record of this meeting. I propose that we forward a copy of this correspondence to the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland for its information as it concerns that organisation, that we notify the Genealogical Society of Ireland of this decision and notify the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland that the Genealogical Society of Ireland has been so notified. Is this agreed? Agreed.

As we do not have any itemised correspondence list for this meeting I propose that we include this item of correspondence for recording purposes in the correspondence list for our next meeting. Is that agreed? Agreed.