James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, and members. Apologies have been received from Deputy Carroll MacNeill. Today's meeting is to consider the following Supplementary Estimates: Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána; Vote 22 - the Courts Service; and Vote 24 - Department of Justice. Before we proceed, I note that divisions are taking place in the Dáil today and it is possible we will hear the bells sound. It is we for whom the bell tolls and, if that happens, we will have to suspend and return. We will keep an eye on the monitors over the course of the meeting.

I thank the Minister of State and his officials for attending and everybody involved in the provision of information on the Supplementary Estimates. The format of the meeting is that the Minister of State will be invited to make some brief opening remarks, after which members are welcome to comment. We will then take each Supplementary Estimate in turn and work through the subheads. If it is appropriate to have closing remarks, that can be accommodated. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I remind members that, in accordance with Standing Orders, discussion should be confined to the items constituting the Supplementary Estimates before us today. The purpose of today's meeting is to review those end-of-year Estimates. Matters outside of that, including the original Estimates for the start of the year, are not in the scope of the meeting. Members will be familiar with the long-standing parliamentary practice relating to privilege, which requires that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official either by name or in such a way to make him or her identifiable. Members are well used at this stage to the protocols in that regard as well as those relating to Zoom meetings. As usual, I ask that they make sure they are off mute when speaking and on mute when not.

I invite the Minister of State to make his opening remarks, after which I will go around the table to see whether members want to respond.