Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Before I invite the Minister of State to make her opening statement, I welcome Ms Valérie Gomez-Bassac, members of the French Embassy in Ireland and their interpreter and colleagues to the Houses. They are very welcome to this Joint Committee on European Union Affairs meeting, and I wish their visit to Ireland every success. I am delighted they have an opportunity to meet our Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy Helen McEntee.

I have received apologies from the Chairman, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, for whom I am deputising today.

I remind members and witnesses about their phones. I will set an example and turn mine off.

On behalf of all the members of the committee, I very much welcome the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy Helen McEntee, and her officials from the Department back to the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs. Since taking up her role, the Minister of State has been very busy between Council meetings and engagements in other member states, certainly a very strong start to her Ministry. On behalf of the members, I thank her for the invitation to the launch of the Government's programme of engagements on the future of Europe. As she knows, this committee has undertaken in a very detailed way its own work in this regard, which will continue, but we are interested in seeing this discussion broadened to include as many citizens as possible. That is exactly what our colleague from France is doing. It is part of our task in Ireland to see where the French can go in this regard. I am sure all members of the committee will be interested in the work the Minister of State has been doing on her plans for the future of Europe debate on recent and future developments in the General Affairs Council and the European Council and her impressions of how the Brexit negotiations are going.

Before we begin with the Minister of State's opening statement, I must remind everyone of the rules of privilege in this Parliament. 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 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 and they continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege. However, this does not apply because the Minister of State has full privilege as a Member of the House, so I do not need to continue reading the notice. I now ask the Minister of State to make her opening statement. Again, I personally welcome her here and congratulate her on the work she is doing. I know she has made a very big impression throughout the European countries. I think she has visited most of the 28 member states. I know she continues to meet her colleague Ministers throughout Europe. She is in a most crucial position in the Brexit discussions and negotiations, so we look forward to hearing her statement.