Chairman:

I welcome members of the Sea-Fisheries Protection Agency, Dr. Susan Steele, the chairperson, and Mr. Micheál O'Mahony, authority member. I thank them for attending the committee meeting and apologise to them for being the last group to make a presentation, but we have had a very good discussion so far.

Before we begin, I bring to the witnesses' attention that they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they are to give to the committee. However, if they are directed by it to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, 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 they 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 ask Dr. Steele to make her opening statement.