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

We are here to discuss the Amnesty International report, Northern Ireland: Time to Deal with the Past. I welcome the following: Mr. Colm O'Gorman, director of Amnesty International Ireland; Mr. Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland programme director of Amnesty International UK; and Mr. Kartik Raj, campaigner, EU team, Amnesty International.
The timing of this meeting is quite appropriate. We have had a challenging week in Northern Ireland relating to legacy issues' dealing with OTRs or "on-the-runs" and other difficult challenges. We are delighted that the witnesses are here today to add value to this committee's deliberations on the past. Witnesses at recent committee meetings have included Ms Kathryn Stone, the victims' commissioner, ex-prisoners, former combatants, and victims groups. It is a complex mix. The members are very well aware of the difficulties and challenges. We very much look forward to the witnesses' contribution today and we will have a good open session after their initial statements.
By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, you are protected by absolute privilege in respect of utterances at this committee. If you are directed by the committee to cease making remarks on a particular matter and you continue to so do, you are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of your remarks. You are directed that only comments and evidence in relation to the subject matter of this meeting are to be given and you are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, you should not criticise or make charges against a Member of either House of the Oireachtas, a person outside the House or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.
I invite Mr. O'Gorman to make his opening statement.