Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses are welcome before the joint committee. I welcome Mr. Michael Gaffey, director general of Irish Aid, who is accompanied by Ms Dympna Hayes and Mr. Niall Tierney. They are all welcome to today's meeting, which is a follow-up from last week's meeting at which members of Dóchas appeared before the joint committee to discuss their preparations for the Addis Ababa conference. This is also a more general meeting with Irish Aid and is an opportunity for the Irish Aid team to provide a briefing to members both on their activities and on the sustainable development goals and their targets, which are set to shape the development agenda post-2015. As members are aware, an important meeting will be held in Addis Ababa in July, namely, the summit on financing and development. The witnesses are all welcome and members are delighted to have them here.

The format of the meeting is that Mr. Gaffey will make an opening statement, after which we will take questions from members of the joint committee. Before handing over to Mr. Gaffey, I remind members, witnesses and those in the public gallery to ensure their mobile telephones are switched off completely for the duration of the meeting, as they cause interference, even in silent mode, with the recording equipment in the committee rooms. In addition, in advance of today's presentation, I wish to remind members of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that members should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person or body outside the Houses or an official 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 joint committee. However, if they are directed by the Chairman to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They also are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given. They are asked to respect the parliamentary practice that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.