Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank committee members for their participation and I particularly thanks all our panellists. I must put on my glasses to spot all their names, which are in front of them. I will only take their Christian names. I thank Frank, Emily, Siobhán, Ellen, who only has an "E" because her surname is longer but I remember, Orla and Laura. They having been here for the earlier engagement, on behalf of the Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality, I sincerely thank them all for their patience as well.

I also apologise that this was not something that we ourselves had determined or structured prior to the summer recess. We had adjourned for the summer recess when this landed on our plate and our programme of work has been pushed back significantly as a consequence. We have these two sessions. I also record our thanks to those who have been discommoded somewhat by their coming before us in relation to community policing and rural crime, which is the critical body of work that we were to undertake today. The consequence of all of that is that things are a little cluttered. I apologise to the commission and to the witnesses that they are all a wee bit pressed in together. We would not normally structure our work in this way. We only have next week and we have five separate individuals and entities coming before us. There was no other way that we could cope. We are sorry if we have discommoded the witnesses in any way. We are most grateful to them for their written contributions, which will be most informative, and for their participation today.

At 9 a.m. on Wednesday next, 26 September 2018, we will resume our deliberations on this matter.