Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I remind members, witnesses and persons in the Public Gallery to turn off their mobile phones. I welcome everyone to the meeting, particularly Mr. Ronan Gill, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of the CIÉ group. I also welcome Mr. Declan Carlyle, head of group human resources, CIÉ, Mr. Dermot O'Leary, general secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union, NBRU, and his colleague, Mr. Thomas O'Connor, Mr. Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association, TSSA, and Mr. Terence Ahern of the TSSA's CIÉ pensions committee. I also welcome Mr. Greg Ennis, general secretary of SIPTU and Mr. Emmet Cotter, also of SIPTU.

I am procedurally required to read out the following. 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 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 of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that 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 invite Mr. Ronan Gill to commence proceedings with his opening statement.