Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Apologies have been received from Deputy Lawless, who is attending a joint policing event on community policing. I ask Members and witnesses to turn off their mobile phones or to switch them to flight mode as they interfere with the sound system, make it difficult for the reporters to cover the meeting and adversely affect television and web streaming.

The purpose of our meeting is to have an engagement with a number of stakeholders as part of the committee's scrutiny of the general scheme of the inspection of places of detention Bill 2022.

I welcome the following witnesses: Mr. Mark Kelly, chief inspector, and Dr. Ciara O'Connell, senior inspector, from the Office of the Inspector of Prisons; Dr. Pauline Conroy and Ms Nuala Ryan from the prison visiting committees; Ms Orla Keane, who is the general council for the Mental Health Commission; Dr. Joe Garrihy from Maynooth University; Ms Saoirse Brady and Ms Molly Joyce from the Irish Penal Reform Trust, IPRT; and Mr. Liam Herrick and Mr. Seán Beatty from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, ICCL. Our representatives from the Department of Justice are Ms Lisa Doherty and Mr. David Hogan. They are all very welcome as observers and participants.

Before I invite witnesses to deliver their opening statements, I wish to advise them of the following in respect of parliamentary privilege. Witnesses and members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that 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 or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. Therefore, if the witnesses' statements are potentially defamatory in respect of an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative they comply with any such direction.

I will invite each organisation to make an opening statement to a maximum of three minutes. Once all the opening statements have been made, I will call on the members of the committee in the order in which they indicate to me to put their questions. We have a rota system which provides that each member has an initial seven minutes. That is for questions and answers. Members are always very succinct in their questioning because of that. When all the members have indicated that their initial engagements are finished, and time permitting, we will do a second round of three minutes each for questions and answers. Obviously, the duration of the meeting is limited and, therefore, our time slots are strictly adhered to. I ask people to be focused in their contributions.

I now call on each organisation to deliver its opening statement in the following order. Mr. Kelly from the Office of the Inspector of Prisons, who will be followed by Dr. Conroy, Ms Keane, Ms Brady, Mr. Herrick and Dr. Garrihy.