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

I thank our witnesses who are joining us in the committee room this morning. Members have the option of being physically present in the committee room but may also join the meeting via Microsoft Teams from their offices in Leinster House, as some are doing this morning. Members may not participate in the meeting from outside parliamentary precincts. I ask any members joining via Teams to please 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, the 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 to adhere to public health advice.

We are meeting today to discuss recommendations 42 to 45, inclusive, of the citizens' assembly, which have regard to the gender equality principle in law and policy, with a particular focus on equality budgeting and data gathering on gender equality. I warmly welcome our witnesses. From the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, we have Ms Caroline O’Loughlin, assistant principal officer in performance and budgeting, and her colleague, Mr. Ed Hearne, principal officer in the national investment office. We are very grateful to both for joining us.

From the Central Statistics Office, CSO, we have Ms Fiona O'Riordan, head of division, and Mr. Kieran Culhane, senior statistician. They are all very welcome.

I will read an important notice regarding parliamentary privilege. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give to the committee but if directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to do so, 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. 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 them identifiable.

Before I call the witnesses to make their opening statements, I will say the committee has taken the view that it is our mandate to see how we can facilitate the implementation of the citizens' assembly recommendations. We are very much looking at the practical question of how best to implement those recommendations. Today, we are looking at recommendations 42 to 45, inclusive, in particular. We are very grateful to the witnesses for engaging with us on that very practical aspect of how to implement the recommendations. We are very grateful to the assembly, many of whose members join us online during our hearings, which did such work to create this blueprint for gender equality through its 45 recommendations.

I ask Ms O'Loughlin to make her opening statement on behalf of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.