Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome you all here today. I apologise again for the delay in the meeting. I do not think it is acceptable to ask you to travel such long distances at 4.15 p.m. on a Thursday evening, but there are particular reasons why the meeting is being held today at this time. There were problems to do with accommodation for the meeting itself. Due to the Finance Bill 2017 there has been a series of other meetings within the building itself, and that has caused difficulty. Again, I apologise, as I am conscious that many of you have long distances to travel and it is a winter evening. Hopefully we will get through our business as soon as possible.

I would like to warmly and formally welcome the following witnesses to our meeting: Mr. Kenny Donaldson, Mr. Ken Funston and Ms Karen McAnerney of Innocent Victims United; Mr. Austin Stack and Mr. David Kelly of the Independent Victims and Survivors Coalition; and Ms Barbara Walsh and Mr. Pat Hynes of the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation.

I will shortly invite you to give your opening statements and afterwards there will be some questions from the committee. For those of you who have not been before the committee in the past, first, there is a notice on mobile phones. Please switch them off, as they interfere with the speaking equipment and the recording equipment in the committee rooms. 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 House or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I draw the attention of witnesses 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 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 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 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.

I will now call on witnesses to make their opening statements. I call on Mr. Stack.