Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Today's meeting will be in two sessions. For the first, we will have an engagement in public with representatives of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, the Rape Crisis Network Ireland, and Women's Aid to discuss the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality regarding domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. When the public session has concluded, we will go into private session to deal with committee business.

I welcome our stakeholders to the first session and we are very appreciative of their time and commitment for coming before the committee and providing us with opening statements and submissions. First, I welcome Ms Noeline Blackwell, CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, who is joining us remotely. I welcome Ms Shirley Scott, policy manager with the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and I thank her for joining us. I also thank Dr. Clíona Saidléar, executive director with Rape Crisis Network Ireland, and Ms Sarah Benson, CEO of Women's Aid for coming in. They are very welcome and we look forward to hearing from them.

Before we begin, I draw our guests’ attention to an important notice on 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 or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Participants in the committee meeting who are in locations outside the parliamentary precincts are asked to note that the constitutional protections afforded to those participating from within the parliamentary precincts do not extend to them. No clear guidance can be given on whether or the extent to which participation is covered by the absolute privilege.

I will call each group to make their opening statements before opening the floor to members for questions and answers. I do not know if the witnesses have an order they would like to follow or if they are happy to for us to proceed in the order I outlined earlier, that is, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, then Rape Crisis Network, followed by Women's Aid. Is that okay? Ms Scott will commence by giving the opening statement on behalf of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. Ms Blackwell is joining us remotely.