Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The first part of our meeting will be for one hour before we suspend and bring in the second set of witnesses for the second hour of the meeting. We will deal with developments in rapid polymerase chain reaction, PCR, testing.

I will set out the note on privilege. All witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that 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, or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory with regard to an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that they comply with any such direction.

Witnesses attending remotely from outside the Leinster House campus should note that there are some limitations to parliamentary privilege and, as such, they may not benefit from the same level of immunity from legal proceedings as a witness who is physically present. Witnesses participating in this committee session from a jurisdiction outside the State should also be mindful of their domestic law and how it may apply to the evidence they give.

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 Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I wish to remind members of the constitutional requirement whereby they must be physically present within the confines of the place where Parliament has chosen to sit, namely, Leinster House or the Convention Centre Dublin, to participate in public meetings. Unfortunately, I will not be able to permit a member to participate where he or she is not adhering to the constitutional requirement. Therefore, any member who attempts to participate from outside the precincts will be reluctantly asked to leave the meeting. In this regard I am asking members partaking via MS Teams that prior to making a contribution in the meeting they confirm they are on the grounds of the Leinster House campus. Anyone watching the meeting online should note that Oireachtas Members and witnesses are accessing this meeting remotely. Only I, as Chairman, and the necessary staff for the running of the meeting are physically present in the committee room due to Covid-19 restrictions. Due to these unprecedented circumstances and the large number of people attending the committee meeting remotely, I appeal to everyone to bear with us should any technical difficulties arise.

I call Mr. Bassato to make his opening statement. He has five minutes. We are very much looking forward to the outline of what he has done in the area of transatlantic travel with John F. Kennedy, JFK, International Airport in terms of rapid antigen testing. A pilot programme is under way there.