Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This session will involve an examination of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, special report on climate change and land. On behalf of the committee, I extend a warm welcome to Dr. Eamon Haughey of Trinity College Dublin. We also welcome, from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr. Bill Callanan, Mr. John Muldowney and Mr. Karl Coggins. Mr. John Spink from Teagasc is also welcome.

Before we commence formal proceedings, I wish to advise our guests 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.

I ask Dr. Eamon Haughey to make his opening statement.