Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will now resume in public session. In this part of today's meeting we will consider Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs and Trade and Vote 27 - International Co-operation, Revised Estimates for 2018, and report back to the Dáil. I welcome the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Simon Coveney, and also Minister of State, Deputy Ciarán Cannon. I also welcome the officials from the Department and thank them for the briefing material forwarded in advance of today's meeting. The proposed format of today's meeting is to deal with Vote 28 on a programme by programme basis. At the outset of the consideration of each of the programmes, the Minister can give an overview of the programme. We will then open the issue to members for questions. On completion of Vote 28 we will proceed to Vote 27 and consider it in a similar manner. I ask members to ask their questions on the specific programme in order to progress in an orderly and efficient manner.

Before proceeding to the business of the meeting, I remind members and those in the Public Gallery that their mobile phones should be switched off completely for the duration of the meeting as they cause interference with the recording equipment in the committee room even if on silent mode.

I remind members of the longstanding parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person or body outside of the Houses or any official either by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

Members have been forwarded advance briefing of the various programmes. We will now proceed sequentially. Programme A is "to serve people at home and abroad and to promote reconciliation and co-operation".