Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to welcome from the WAVE Trauma Centre, Ms Sandra Peake, Ms Mary McCallan and Mr. Dennis Godfrey; from the Families of the Disappeared, Ms Anne Morgan and Mr. Sean Megraw; and from the Peace Factory, Ms Denise Mullen Fox, Mr. Peter Devlin and Mr. Eugene Reavey.

The committee is looking forward to the groups’ contributions. We are aware that we are working within a timeframe regarding the Richard Haass talks. A delegation from the committee met with him last month. Hopefully, this session today will be helpful to his deliberations.

I advise witnesses that they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of utterances at this committee. However, if they are directed by it to cease making remarks on a particular matter and continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their remarks. They are directed that only cognisant evidence on the subject matter of this meeting is to be given and 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 nor an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I call on Ms Sandra Peake to make her opening statement.