Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Before we begin, members now have the option of being physically present in the committee room or may join via Microsoft Teams from their Leinster House offices. Members may not participate in the meeting from outside of the parliamentary precincts. If joining on Teams, I ask members to mute their microphones when not speaking and use the raise-hand function to indicate. I ask members to note that in order to limit the risk of spreading Covid-19, the Oireachtas Service encourages all members, visitors and witnesses to continue to wear face masks when moving around the campus and when in close proximity to others, and be respectful of other people's physical space. They are also asked to adhere to public health advice.

Before we go any further, our Chair, Deputy Ivana Bacik, cannot be with us today. She has Covid. We wish her a speedy recovery.

Today we are having the first of our meetings on the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on care and social protection. I welcome our witnesses, Dr. Ursula Barry of UCD, a member of the expert group to the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality, who is joining us on Teams, Dr. Emily Murphy, senior researcher, health inequalities, the Think-tank for Action on Social Change, TASC, and Professor Mary Murphy, Maynooth University social sciences institute, and thank them for their time here today.

I have an important notice on parliamentary privilege. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give 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 a person or persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her, them or it identifiable. Participants in the committee meeting from 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 of a statutory nature.

I call on Dr. Barry to make her opening statement.