Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We will resume in public session. The purpose of today's engagement is to conduct detailed scrutiny of the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017, which is sponsored by our committee colleague, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan. The format of the meeting is that Deputy O'Callaghan will be invited to make an opening statement and that be followed by a question-and-answer session. We will then invite our visitors, representatives of both the Equality and Rights Alliance and IBEC, to give their views on the Bill. I extend a warm welcome to Mr. Niall Crowley, Ms Anne Lyne and Mr. Damien Walshe, who are here from the Equality and Rights Alliance, and Ms Maeve McElwee and Ms Nichola Harkin from IBEC. They are all very welcome.

Under the salient rulings of the Chair, members should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. That is a caution I will have to repeat at the appropriate time.

I invite Deputy O'Callaghan to make his opening statement.