Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We will commence today's meeting, which is to discuss pre-budget submissions. I welcome Mr. James Claffey, policy and communications officer, Irish Rural Link, IRL; Ms Michelle Murphy, policy research analyst, Social Justice Ireland, SJI; Mr. Michael Harty, chairman, Home and Community Care Ireland, HCCI; Mr. Robin Hanan, director, European Anti-Poverty Network, Ireland, EAPN; Ms Caroline Fahey, social policy development officer, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, SVP ; Ms Yvonne O'Sullivan, advocacy and policy officer, Free Legal Aid Centres, FLAC, before the committee today.

The format of the meeting will be a round-table discussion on social protection based on the pre-budget submissions received from the organisations present today. The witnesses will make their opening statements in the following order: Irish Rural Link, Social Justice Ireland, Home and Community Care Ireland, European Anti-Poverty Network, Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Free Legal Aid Centres.

A question and answer session with the members will then ensue and, given the time constraints and to ensure we have a constructive debate, I must insist that all opening statements are kept to a maximum of three minutes. Witnesses have already been advised by the committee secretariat that I will stop them if they go over their time limit. Also, each member is entitled to ask questions only once, and the relevant witnesses can then respond. I remind members, witnesses and those in the Visitors Gallery that all mobile telephones must be switched off as they interfere with the communications equipment and the broadcasting of these meetings.
With regard to the formalities of today's meeting, I wish to advise the witnesses that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. If they are directed by it to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to so do, 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 the proceedings 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 any person or an entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Members are reminded of the long-standing ruling of the Chair 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.
I now ask Mr. Claffey to commence his opening statement on the pre-budget submissions, and the other witnesses can follow in the sequence I have outlined.