John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Professor Philip Lane, Governor, and Mr. John Flynn, head of the Irish economic analysis division, in the Central Bank of Ireland. I also welcome Mr. Pádraig Dalton, Director General, Ms Jennifer Banim, Assistant Director General CSO and the Economic and Environment Statistics section, and Ms Gillian Roche, head of Government accounts division, from the Central Statistics Office. They will discuss the December 2016 report of the Economic Statistics Review Group, ESRG.

Before we begin, I remind the members and witnesses to turn off their mobile phones because the interference by phones affects the sound quality and transmission of the meeting.

Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence that they give to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence in relation to a particular matter and they 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 they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Members are reminded of the longstanding parliamentary practice to the effect that members should not comment on, criticise or make charges against either a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

Before proceeding some of the members wanted to comment on the origins of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight.