Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome everyone to the meeting and I ask those present to check their mobile phones before we begin to ensure that they are switched off. It is not sufficient to put them on silent mode; they need to be switched off. The meeting is being televised live today and we do not want to interfere with the broadcast. We have received apologies from Deputies John Halligan, Joe O'Reilly and Seán Kyne and Senators Catherine Noone and Kathryn Reilly.

I welcome to the meeting the Minister of State with special responsibility for European Affairs, Deputy Dara Murphy. He is a former member of this committee and we are familiar with each other. He will brief the committee on the draft 2015 national reform programme. The Government is currently consulting with the Oireachtas on the draft in advance of its submission to the European Commission in Brussels.

As the committee will be aware, the preparation of the national reform programme is a key part for each member state in its annual European Semester process, which began in recent years. Today's meeting is welcome in the context of the European Semester as part of the involving engagement with the Oireachtas to ensure that the necessary democratic accountability, legitimacy and oversight all are part and parcel of the process. The Minister of State will also give us a brief update on the outcome of the General Affairs Council meeting that was held last week.

When the Minister of State concludes, we will have time for questions. Following a brief suspension, the second part of the meeting will be with members of the Committee of the Regions. I am delighted to welcome to the Gallery some of the committee's guests and contributors to the second part of the meeting but, first, we will hear from the Minister of State.