Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As always, I remind members and delegates to, please, turn off their mobile phones or, at least, to switch them to airplane mode. Interference caused by mobile phones affects the sound quality of the transmission of the proceedings of the meeting.

I welcome Mr. William Beausang, assistant secretary at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, who is accompanied by Ms Sarah Swaine, Ms Caroline O' Loughlin and Mr. Struan Charters. I thank them for taking the time to attend the meeting, the purpose of which is to examine the pilot programme for gender budgeting. At a coming meeting the joint committee is also due to meet the National Women's Council of Ireland to discuss the issue of gender equality. At this meeting we will focus on the quality of the indicators used as part of the pilot programme to measure the progress of each of six Departments, the process used to devise the indicators, the ways in which the pilot programme and the Revised Estimates Volume can be improved to help to encourage greater use of performance information during the Estimates process.

Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they are to give to the committee. However, if they are directed by it to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and 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 asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or an entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

Members are reminded that, in accordance with long-standing parliamentary practice, 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.

I ask Ms Swaine to make her opening statement.