Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Apologies have been received from Deputy Mattie McGrath. Before we begin, 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.

As time is particularly tight, we have only a limited period with the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Phil Hogan, and I suggest that we move directly to our engagement with him. On behalf of the committee, I welcome him and the members of his team, Mr. Dermot Ryan and Mr. Tom Tynan, to their first meeting with the joint committee. The Commissioner is obviously well known to the Houses and we look forward to working with him and his colleagues. I also welcome Mr. Gerry Kiely, the new head of the European Commission office in Dublin. On behalf of the committee, I congratulate him on his new role. We hope to engage with him and his colleagues who are based in Dublin on an ongoing basis.

This committee has a particular role and responsibility to apply appropriate scrutiny to the strategic direction of the EU and its institutions. The state of the Union speech that the President of the European Commission, Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker, delivers to the European Parliament is a key part of that. It is a single speech but also a set of documents of intent in that it signals what the European Commission intends to prioritise. For this reason alone, it is important to us. It also starts a process that results in the publication of the Commission's annual work programme. My colleagues are interested in knowing where the Commission will lead us over the next year or so. We might begin with that discussion before opening the floor to members' questions.