Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy John Perry, and Mr. Dermot Sheridan from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. I also welcome Ms Hilary Dalton and Mr. Brian Hogan from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. In this part of the meeting we will discuss the draft Protection of Young Persons (Employment) (Exclusion of Workers in the Fishing and Shipping Sectors) Regulations 2014. The Minister of State has been busy today, as he has been travelling all over the country, or at least half of Leinster. I thank him for attending. Our role today is to consider the proposal that the Dáil and the Seanad approve the draft regulations. The committee does not have the power to approve or amend them as doing so is the prerogative of the Dáil and the Seanad. The committee is meeting to discuss them. I invite the Minister of State to make his opening remarks.