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

I thank Senator Joan Freeman for accommodating us at the start of the meeting. She is welcome. Apologies have been received from Deputy Jack Chambers and Senators Lorraine Clifford-Lee and Niall Ó Donnghaile.

I welcome Ms Fíona Ní Chinnéide, acting executive director, and Ms Michelle Martyn, senior research and policy manager, from the Irish Penal Reform Trust, IPRT. On behalf of the committee I thank them both for coming before us at relatively short notice. I say well done to them both and to the IPRT. As I indicated briefly before we came into the committee room, it is the first group to engage in a series of hearings we hope to address on prisons, penal policy and sentencing. This is one of the areas on which the joint committee agreed to focus as part of its work programme for 2017. We intend to address those important and related matters over a period of time and we thank the witnesses for getting the ball rolling for us.

The format of the meeting is that the witnesses will be invited to make an opening statement to the committee which will be followed by a question and answer session with members. At this juncture I must read the privilege reminder which is par for the course at every meeting. They should please note that witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they are to give to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee 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 nor make charges against any person or persons or 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, members should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I invite Ms Ní Chinnéide to make her opening address.