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

Apologies have been received from Deputy Colm Brophy and Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee. I welcome the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, and her officials. The purpose of this meeting is to have a pre-legislative discussion on the scheme of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2016, the Minister's Bill, in tandem with the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2016, a Private Members' Bill, which has been tabled by Deputy Jim O'Callaghan. The format of the meeting is that I will invite the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, to brief the committee on the scheme of her Bill and then I will call Deputy Jim O'Callaghan brief the committee on his Bill. I will then open it up to a general discussion and questions and answers. Deputy O'Callaghan, as a member of the committee, will, in the same way as any other member, be in a position to ask the Minister specific questions relevant to her Bill, and as she is an ex officiomember of the committee when in situ, she will be afforded exactly the same facilitation if there are any questions she wishes to pose to Deputy O'Callaghan. We will approach our business equitably. I call Deputy Fitzgerald to make her opening statement.