Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I have not received any apologies, I take it we have a full complement of members. I am pleased we are meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Deputy Coveney, to discuss the appointment of special envoys and receive an update on the current situation in Afghanistan. The Minister is very welcome. I also welcome from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Niall Burgess, Secretary General, and Ms Sonja Hyland, political director. I thank them for the briefing material we received in the past few weeks.

The format of the meeting is that we will first deal with the appointment of special envoys, after which we will move to questions and discussion in respect of Afghanistan. Details of the recent envoy situation caused some concern over the course of our vacation. I am pleased we have the opportunity to deal with certain issues that generated, and were the subject of, public controversy.

As time is limited, the Minister's opening statement will be brief. Before going into a questions and answers session with members of the committee, I ask the Minister to make some brief opening remarks on both subjects. I ask members to indicate, by means of the hand-raise function, if they wish to be called. I will take members, in order, by party and group. I will take a number of members' questions together before returning to the Minister to respond. As time is limited, I also ask members to be concise in their questions and the Minister to be concise in his response. I propose to set a limit of three minutes in the initial round for each member and, time permitting, we can come back with supplementary questions of one minute each. I also propose to allow five minutes for the Minister's response to each group of questions and one minute in the supplementary round. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I have a note on privilege. The Minister and members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against any 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 they are only allowed to participate in this meeting if they are physically located on the Leinster House complex. For anybody watching this meeting online, some Oireachtas Members and witnesses are accessing the meeting in remote format due to these unprecedented circumstances. I understand this will be the last of our meetings in such circumstances. With regard to the fact that people are attending remotely, I ask that everybody bear with us if any issues of a technical nature arise.

With that and having regard to the fact that our time is limited, I ask the Minister to make his opening comments and thank him for making time available to be with us this evening.