Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for keeping our next witnesses waiting. It illustrates the significant interest in this topic. We had an intense engagement with the Department. As always, we are guilty of putting too much on our agenda. I acknowledge that I got a phone call yesterday evening from Dr. O'Mara, who is unable to attend this evening. He said that he would like to come before the committee in the near future to address various topics. I thank him. I know that he is on his way to Brussels for a meeting.

I welcome Mr. John Spink, head of the crops, environment and land use programme; Dr. Karl Richards, head of the environment, soils and land use department; Dr. Gary Lanigan, principal research officer for greenhouse gases and carbon, Teagasc; and Professor Kevin O'Connor, director of the BEACON SFI Bioeconomy Research Centre, who is joining us remotely. They are all welcome to the meeting. They will be given ten minutes to make their opening statement before we go to questions and answers.

Before we begin, I have an important notice about parliamentary privilege. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a 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 and they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

Participants in the committee meeting from a location outside the parliamentary precincts are asked to note that the constitutional protections afforded to those participating in the parliamentary proceedings do not extend to them.

No clear guidance can be given on whether, or to what extent, such participation is covered by absolute privilege of a statutory nature.