Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The committee is in public session. We have received formal apologies from Deputy Colm Brophy and from Deputy Mattie McGrath who has let us know that he may be late. I ask that mobile phones be put on silent or turned off. I am delighted to be able to engage today with Mr. Michael Russell, MSP and Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland's Place in Europe. I warmly welcome him, Ms Kirsty Hamilton and Mr. John Webster to our committee. We are delighted that they have taken time out of their busy schedule to be with us. It is not every day that we have a Scottish Minister join us. We appreciate the opportunity to engage with him.

The UK's vote to leave the EU is something that I very much regret but respect. As a committee, we have made an effort to track the negotiations, to engage with our own Minister, the European Commission, the European Parliament and committees from other parliaments, including Westminster and Mr. Russell's own parliament. Only two weeks ago, we met a delegation from the Committee on Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations of the Scottish Parliament. We also met ambassadors from EU member states. The British ambassador has also engaged with us. All of this has been helpful on all sides. It must be quite a challenge for devolved administrations so we are particularly pleased that the witnesses have been able to join us today to share their insights with us. While the move in December from phase 1 to phase 2 of the negotiations was extremely welcome, there is still much ground to cover and very little time in which to do it. From where we stand, we have to respect the decisions and stated wishes of the British Government to leave the customs union and-or the Single Market, but there are circles to be squared which are linked to all of these decisions. They are not without serious consequences. For our engagement today, I ask Mr. Russell to make an opening statement and we will then take questions from our members.

Before that, I have to say a word on privilege. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that members 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 it to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to 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 are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

Before Mr. Russell commences, I welcome everybody in the Public Gallery, including our ambassador from Georgia. I remind our members of the good taste that Mr. Russell has. As Senator Coghlan knows, he had the good sense, a couple of weeks ago, to attend a very important conference in the tourism capital of the world, Killarney in County Kerry.