Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our witnesses to the meeting this morning. They are all presenting remotely and will provide an update on the workforce planning in both acute and community care settings. I welcome from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, Ms Phil Ní Sheaghdha, general secretary, and Mr. Tony Fitzpatrick, director of industrial relations; from the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, Ms Susan Clyne, CEO, and Dr. Matthew Sadlier, consultant committee; and from the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, IHCA, Professor Alan Irvine, president, and Mr. Martin Varley, secretary general. They are all very welcome to our meeting. The meeting will be in different sections for the different political groups, with rounds of ten minutes and seven minutes. We are hoping questions will be asked and answers given within that period. I know that will be difficult but unfortunately we must stick to the two-hour window.

Before we hear the witnesses' opening statements, I must point out that there is some uncertainty about whether parliamentary privilege will apply to witnesses giving evidence from a location outside the parliamentary precincts of Leinster House. Please note that the constitutional protection afforded to witnesses presenting in Leinster House may not extend to those presenting remotely. No clear guidance can be given on the extent to which evidence is covered by absolute privilege of a statutory nature. Therefore, if witnesses are directed by me to cease giving evidence in relation to a particular matter, they must respect that direction.

I now call Ms Ní Sheaghdha to make her opening comments on behalf of the INMO.