John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Ms Orla O'Connor, director, and Ms Eilís Ní Chaithnía, policy director, from the National Women's Council of Ireland, NWCI; Mr. Liam Berney, industrial officer, from ICTU; Ms Kay Murphy, Mr. Peter Kavanagh and Ms Megan Van Son, from Active Retirement Ireland. We have been dealing with the issue of the contributory State pension for a number of weeks. We have received submissions from the witnesses here today that have been circulated to members and will form part of the report we are in the process of compiling. I will take the three presentations and then a number of questions.

I wish to draw your attention to the fact that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. However, if you are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and you continue to so do, you are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of your evidence. You are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings to be given and you are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, you should not criticise nor make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

The opening statements submitted to the committee will be published on the committee website after the meeting. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

Once again, I ask colleagues with mobile phones to turn them off or switch to flight mode. It is not just the ringing that is an issue; they also affect the broadcast and recording of proceedings. I invite Ms O'Connor to make an opening statement on behalf of the NWCI.