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

We have received apologies from Senators Richmond and Craughwell. The usual mobile phone notice is given. Please ensure to have them turned off if at all possible. Today we have engagement with Mr. James Temple-Smithson, who is the head of the European Parliament Information Office in Ireland. We have met him previously and, on behalf of the committee, I welcome him here today. I understand he has been in his new role for a couple of months, so I welcome him to both the committee and Dublin.

Strong engagement with the European Parliament is very important to this committee and Members of European Parliament elected from constituencies in Ireland are welcome to join our meetings. Members from this committee and others have taken part in interparliamentary meetings, we engage through the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs, COSAC, and a delegation from this committee recently travelled to Brussels and met a number of MEPs. I am, therefore, sure that the members will be interested in engaging with Mr. Temple-Smithson today on the work of his office and how we could be improving our engagement. I always say in situations like this that the more engagement we can have and the more that we as Members of the Dáil and the Seanad can help his office, the more we would like that. We want to be helpful and supportive in every way that we can.

Members are reminded of the longstanding parliamentary practice to the effect that members should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside of the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. If they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter but continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to a 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 are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise nor make charges against any person or entity by name or in such way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

I invite Mr. Temple-Smithson to make his opening remarks.