Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Professor Duncan Morrow, lecturer in politics and director of community engagement at Ulster University; Professor Kieran McEvoy, professor of law and transitional justice in the School of Law and senior research fellow at the Institute of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice at Queen's University, Belfast; and Dr. Anna Bryson, senior lecturer in the School of Law, Queen's University, Belfast. I will invite them to make opening statements which will be followed by questions from committee members.

I remind members, guests and those in the Visitors Gallery to ensure their mobile phones, tablets, etc, are switched off completely for the duration of the meeting as they cause interference, even when left in silent mode, with the recording equipment in committee rooms.

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.

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.

I invite our guests to make their opening statements.