Maria Bailey (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

At the request of the broadcasting and recording services, members and visitors in the Public Gallery are requested to ensure that for the duration of the meeting their mobile telephones are turned off completely or switched to airplane, safe or flight mode, depending on their device. It is not sufficient to put their phones on silent mode as this will maintain the level of interference with the broadcasting system.

No. 5 is resumed detailed scrutiny of the Prohibition of Micro-Plastics Bill 2016. I remind members we will have two sessions today. In our first session we will resume scrutiny of the Prohibition of Micro-Plastics Bill 2016. I welcome to our meeting Mr. Roger Harrington and Mr. Conall O'Connor from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government , Dr. Anne Marie Mahon and Dr. Róisín Nash from Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, and Dr. Kevin Lynch from the National University of Ireland Galway.

Before we begin I wish to draw attention to the fact that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they are to give to the committee. If, however, they are directed 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 they are 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. Witnesses will have four minutes to make their opening statements. I invite Mr. Harrington to make his opening statement.