Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the members for their engagement with our last guests from the Irish Deaf Society.

This is the second session of today's meeting. I extend a very warm welcome to Ms Josephine Feehily, chairperson, and Ms Helen Hall, chief executive, of the Policing Authority. I understand Ms Karen Shelly is joining us in the Public Gallery.

The purpose of this part of the meeting is to have an engagement on the priorities and challenges for the new Policing Authority formed in January 2016. The joint committee has identified oversight and accountability of An Garda Síochána as one of the priority issues for its 2016 work programme. We were late getting to work on that programme but in a short time, we identified several witnesses to appear before us. Last week the chairperson of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring appeared before us. Today we are engaging with the Policing Authority, the Garda Commissioner will attend on 5 October and the Garda Inspectorate will appear later in October whereupon we will make a report to the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality.

I thank Ms Feehily and Ms Hall for their attendance today. They will be invited to make a brief opening statement to be followed by a question-and-answer session. I must now put the witnesses on notice about privilege.

Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give to the committee. If, however, they are directed by it to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to do so, 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 these proceedings is to be given and 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 should be aware that, under the salient rulings of the Chair, 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 invite Ms Feehily to make her opening statement.