Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have been notified that Deputies O'Donoghue, Cairns and Costello will substitute for their party colleagues. They are very welcome. I welcome our witnesses for our resumed discussion on the topic of education provision for the September reopening of schools including school transport. Joining us from committee room 1, we welcome: Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General; Ms Deirdre Shanley, assistant secretary; Mr. Hubert Loftus, assistant secretary; Ms Aoife Conduit, assistant secretary; Ms Yvonne Keating, deputy chief inspector; and Ms Anne Tansey, director of the National Educational Psychological Service.

I advise the witnesses 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 this committee. If they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. Witnesses are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.