Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ar son an choiste, cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire, an Teachta Coveney, agus a chomhghleacaithe. Táimid ag dúil go mór leis an díospóireacht faoi na rudaí práinneacha tábhachtacha atá ann faoi láthair, ní hamháin na rudaí atá ag bogadh ar aghaidh san Úcráin leis an Rúis. B'fhéidir go mbeimid ag labhairt faoi rudaí eile inniu fosta.

On behalf of the committee, I welcome the Minister and his officials. They are all very welcome to our meeting. We will be engaging on the topic of the European Union's response to the humanitarian crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other matters.

Before we begin, I must advise those present of the position on privilege and deal with housekeeping matters. All witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not criticise or make any charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him or her or it identifiable, or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. If the witnesses' statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that they comply with any such direction.

Members will be aware of the constitutional requirements and that their presence must be within the confines of the Leinster House complex. It is imperative that anyone partaking via MS Teams will confirm, prior to making their contribution to the meeting, that they are on the grounds of the Leinster House complex.

We will go straight into our discussion and try to keep it flowing. There are a lot of current issues. I am aware that the Taoiseach has just arrived in Kyiv. I acknowledge the Government's advocacy on behalf of the Ukrainian people. The Minister is aware of the committee's endeavours in trying to develop a deeper understanding and knowledge of what is happening.

We have done that pragmatically, with delegations travelling to Georgia, Romania and Moldova in recent months. While we look forward to the Minister's contribution, I wish to acknowledge how his officials were on hand in advance of those visits to give us very good and comprehensive briefings. We also appreciate the help from the various embassies during our travels.