Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I remind members to turn their mobile phones off and to mute devices unless they are contributing to the debate. I welcome everyone to this meeting of the Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. We have no correspondence to consider and no minutes for adoption. The agenda for today's meeting is the trade and co-operation agreement between the EU and the UK, the Northern Ireland protocol, and the EU-UK relationship post Brexit.

I have to go through the usual privilege spiel for our witness, Commissioner McGuinness. Witnesses giving evidence from within the parliamentary precincts are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence that they give to a committee. This means that a witness has a full defence in any defamation action for anything said at a committee meeting. However, witnesses are expected not to abuse this privilege and may be directed to cease giving evidence on an issue at the Chair's direction. Witnesses should follow the direction of the Chair in this regard and are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that, as is reasonable, no adverse commentary should be made against an identifiable third party or entity. Witnesses who are to give evidence from a location outside the parliamentary precincts are asked to note that they may not benefit from the same level of immunity to legal proceedings as a witness giving evidence from within the parliamentary precincts and may consider it appropriate to take legal advice on the matter.

Privilege against defamation does not apply to the publication by witnesses, outside of the proceedings held by the committee, of any matters arising from the proceedings.

Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on 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 remind members that are only allowed to participate in this meeting if they are physically located on the Leinster House campus. In this regard, I ask all members to confirm that they are on the grounds of the Leinster House campus prior to making their initial contribution to the meeting. If they are directed by the Chair to cease giving evidence in regard to a particular matter, they must respect that direction.

Our witness today is EU Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union, Ms Mairead McGuinness. I understand that the Commissioner is going to make an opening statement so I will hand over to her. I thank her for her time this morning.