Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of the meeting is to meet the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charlie Flanagan. Members are aware that the Minister was appointed to his post last July. This is his first meeting with the joint committee and we are delighted to have him with us. He can obviously bring a crowd, if we look at the numbers in the Visitors Gallery. It is great to have such a good turnout at the meeting. I want to extend a very warm welcome to the Minister, together with his officials. It is also one of the first times the new Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs is here before us, and I am glad he is accompanying the Minister today.
Today's meeting is timely. There are a lot of issues to be discussed in the context of foreign affairs, conflict and other issues that have dominated the news in recent weeks and continue to do so. Today's meeting is, therefore, a good opportunity for us. We gave the Minister a few weeks to relax in the job, although I know he has not been relaxing as he has been going to A, B and C, and from Northern Ireland to the US, the UN and other places. He has been very busy since taking over the post in July and we are delighted he is here today.
The format of today's meeting is that we will hear an opening statement from the Minister and we will then go to a question and answer session.
Before we proceed, I remind committee members, witnesses and those in the Visitors Gallery to switch off their mobile phones for the duration of the meeting as they cause interference, even when left in silent mode, with the recording equipment in committee rooms. I remind members 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. 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 committee. If they are directed by the Chairman to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to do so, they will be 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 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.

I welcome the Minister and call on him to make his opening statement.