Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

No. 6 on today's meeting is our engagement with delegates from Comhairle na nÓg. You are all welcome. I apologise for the first two parts of our meeting going on so long. We appreciate your patience. The purpose of this part of the meeting is to discuss with the delegates of Comhairle na nÓg the findings of the 2015 Dáil na nÓg delegate report and to examine the findings of the Comhairle na nÓg survey entitled, "So, how was school today?" The survey was referenced in our previous session and we took great delight in telling the witnesses that we would have first-hand experience from discussing the matter with Comhairle na nÓg delegates this evening.

On behalf of the committee, I wish to welcome Kate Lehane, Kate Lancaster-Ryan, Hugh O'Reilly-Fitzgerald, Niamh Bakker, Craig Smith, Brigid O'Sullivan and Olive McGovern, who is the principal officer from the youth reform and citizen participation unit of the Department. When I was a member of Kildare County Council and mayor of the county I had considerable engagement with Kildare Comhairle na nÓg. It was always enjoyable and interesting. I am looking forward to the engagement. I will give everyone an opportunity to speak for a minute. You can say your name, where you are from and a little about your experience before we go to Ms McGovern. Then we will have the opportunity to speak to the members. The members may have some questions, which you can then respond to.

Before we continue, 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 the evidence they give to the committee. If you are directed by myself, as Chairman, 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 the proceedings is to be given and you are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, you 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. Any opening statements that you give to us, including the two we have received, will be published on our committee website after the meeting.