Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are joined by officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I welcome Mr. David Flynn, principal adviser from the water division, and Mr. Donal Grant, water policy adviser, from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and Mr. Jack Nolan, senior inspector, and Mr. Bernard Harris, agriculture inspector, from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. They are all very welcome. They will be given ten minutes each to make their opening statements before we go into questions and answers.

Before we begin, I will read an important note in relation to parliamentary privilege. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect to the evidence that they give to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence in relation to a particular matter and they continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given. They 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. I call Mr. Flynn to make his opening statement.