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

The Minister for Finance is an ex officiomember of this committee for the purposes of the consideration of this legislation. The Minister shall be counted for the purposes of determining a quorum. In dealing with the Bill, the Chairman's role is identical to that of the Ceann Comhairle in the Dáil. Tradition prevents the Chair from intervening in favour of or against any particular amendment. Impartiality is required, as we know, and this also applies to a temporary Chair.

Apologies have been received from Deputy Mairéad Farrell. Deputy Ó Murchú will substitute for her. I welcome members and any viewers who may be watching our proceedings on Oireachtas TV to the public session of the Oireachtas Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach.

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 within 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 or 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, in order to participate in a division of the committee, members must be physically present in the committee room.

On behalf of the select committee, I welcome the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe. To give some idea of our modus operandi, in order to provide for the smooth running of the meeting, any Member acting in substitution for a member of the committee should be formally notified to the clerk now. We already have referred to Deputy Ó Murchú in this regard. 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, they may move their amendments and request a division but cannot participate in the voting on that amendment. That relates to non-members.

Please note that we must finish consideration of the Bill today. There is a grand phrase. It gives us all an enlightened approach to the proceedings ahead of us. I propose we suspend for a break from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and later suspend for another break from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. After that, we will play it by ear. Is that agreed? Agreed.