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

The topic of this meeting is a discussion of current housing demand with representatives from Circle Voluntary Housing Association, Clúid Housing Association and Respond! Housing Association. I welcome Mr. Justin O'Brien, chief executive officer, and Mr. Jerome Casey, chairman, of Circle Voluntary Housing Association; Mr. Brian O'Gorman, chief executive officer, and Mr. Simon Brook, head of policy, of Clúid Housing Association; Mr. Ned Brennan, chief operations officer, and Mr. Pádraic Brennan, eastern regional manager, of Respond! Housing Association. I propose to take the opening statements in the order of the witnesses I have just mentioned - that is, in alphabetical order.
I ask the witnesses to bear with me as I go through the technical procedure of outlining the privilege warning. 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 joint committee. However, if they directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against a person or an entity either by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. The opening statements and any other documents witnesses have provided to the committee may be published on the committee's website after the conclusion of the meeting.
Members are reminded 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.
The issue of housing is a particular focus for this committee. There have been fluctuations in the housing market for many years and there appears to be growing demand again, particularly in the Dublin area. We must develop a housing policy and ensure that meeting demand in a sustainable manner does not contribute to another housing bubble or shortage of supply to meet demands for housing. It is a huge topic for the committee. None of us wishes to return to the situation of previous years, but that does not mean we should not monitor trends closely and tailor policy around that. This is the first of a number of meetings the committee will have with various stakeholders in the housing sector. We have invited representatives of the voluntary housing associations to today's meeting and at our meeting on 29 April we will engage with representatives of a number of local authorities and officials from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. We wish to explore all of the relevant issues and to engage in a comprehensive discussion so we can put together a set of practical proposals for the Minister. I hope today's meeting will contribute in no small way to that process.
I call on the representative of the Circle Voluntary Housing Association to make his opening statement.