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

Apologies have been received from Deputies Darragh O'Brien and Fergus O'Dowd. Deputy Shane Cassells will be substituting for Deputy O'Brien.

This meeting has been convened for the purpose of consideration by this committee of the Local Government (Rates) Bill 2018, which will be preceded by a briefing from officials from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.

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

Item 1 on the agenda is a briefing on the Local Government (Rates) Bill 2018. On behalf of the committee, I welcome to the meeting, from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Mr. Barry Quinlan, Ms Lorraine O'Donoghue, Ms Sinéad O'Gorman, Ms Sheila McMahon, Mr. Paul Hogan and Ms. Patricia Curran.

Before we begin, I wish to draw the attention of witnesses 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 their evidence to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a 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, persons or 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 House or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I call on Mr. Barry Quinlan to make his opening statement.