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

I welcome the witnesses. Members have the option of being physically present in the committee room or joining the meeting via Microsoft Teams from Leinster House offices but they may not participate in the meeting from outside the parliamentary precincts. I ask those joining on Teams to mute their microphones when not making a contribution and to use the raise-hand function to indicate. In order to limit the risk of spreading Covid-19, please note that all members, visitors and witnesses are encouraged to continue to wear face masks when moving around the campus or when in close proximity to others, and to adhere to any other public health advice.

Today we are continuing our meetings on the report of the Citizens' Assembly and the 45 recommendations on gender equality. In particular this morning we are looking at the recommendations on care and social protection. Today we will focus on the issue of care and early years education for children. I welcome our witnesses who are representing three organisations. From Early Childhood Ireland I welcome Frances Byrne, director of policy, advocacy and campaigning. From SIPTU's Big Start campaign I welcome Mr. Darragh O'Connor, the head of strategic organising and campaigns. From Treoir I welcome Mr. Damien Peelo, CEO, and Ms Mary Roach, information and policy officer. Ms Roach is joining us via Teams. They are all very welcome. It is particularly nice to see them all in person. Many of us have engaged with them over Teams and Zoom in recent years. We really appreciate them joining us.

Before we begin, I will read 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 nor make charges against any person or entity in such a way as to make them identifiable. Participants who are in locations outside the parliamentary precincts are asked to note that the constitutional protections afforded to those participating from within Leinster House 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.

Before I ask the witnesses to make their opening statements I want to say that the committee has taken the view that our work is about seeing the implementation of the 45 recommendations on gender equality, including the recommendations on care and social protection. We see these wonderful recommendations from the Citizens' Assembly as a blueprint for gender equality in Ireland and our role as providing a means to ensure their implementation and that they are put into effect. We are very conscious of the need to be practical and to look at an action plan for how to implement the recommendations. We are very grateful to all of the witnesses for engaging with us already with their submissions and for all of their work on the care recommendations in particular. We really appreciate their coming to assist us with our work.

We have already dealt with quite a number of the recommendations in a modular fashion and we will finish our work in December with a report that we see as forming an action plan. We are glad that members of the Citizens' Assembly have been engaging with us and following our proceedings online throughout. I welcome anyone who is following us online.

I invite Ms Byrne to make her opening statement on behalf of Early Childhood Ireland. I will then invite Mr. O'Connor and Mr. Peelo to do the same, after which we will go to questions and answers and a discussion with members.