Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Apologies have been received from an Cathaoirleach, Deputy McGuinness. I welcome members and any viewers who may be watching the proceedings on Oireachtas TV of the Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach.

I welcome the Minister and his officials, as well as the members to the sitting. Turning to the notice on privilege, members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. Parliamentary privilege is considered to apply to the utterances of members participating online in a committee meeting when their participation is from the parliamentary precincts. For this purpose, the parliamentary precincts are considered to be the accommodation assigned to the member in the Leinster House complex or its vicinity, another location in Leinster House or Leinster House 2000. Please note that members may participate remotely in proceedings held in public only from the locations listed above, as privilege for their utterances only applies when participating from those locations. It is also important to note that members must be physically present to participate in the committee. In other words, they cannot vote from their online location.

I welcome the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, and his officials. The format of the meeting and its timetable is as follows. To provide for the smooth running of the meeting, any members acting in substitution for a member of the committee should formally notify the clerk now, if they have not already done so. Divisions will be taken as they arise. Members attending this meeting in accordance with Standing Order 106(3) should be aware that pursuant to that standing order, he or she may move his or her amendment and request a division but cannot participate in the voting on the amendment. This applied to members attending this committee in accordance with the standing order, that is, Deputies who are not members of this committee. It is proposed that we end the meeting at 4 p.m.