James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses to the committee. The purpose of our meeting is to discuss policing matters. A range of matters will be traversed. The discussion will cover three main topics: challenges relating to rostering and recruitment and recent industrial relations issues; the policing of Dublin city; and the policing of protests. Those are three quite distinct topics but I am sure there will be some overlap.

Our witnesses are all very welcome and I thank them for making themselves available to join our discussion. I welcome Mr. Ronan Slevin, general secretary of the Garda Representative Association, GRA; and Mr. Brendan O’Connor, president of the GRA. From the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, AGSI, I welcome Ms Antoinette Cunningham, general secretary, and Mr. Ronan Clogher. From the Restaurants Association of Ireland, RAI, I welcome Mr. Adrian Cummins, chief executive, and Mr. Sean Collender. I also welcome Mr. Gallagher, a former Garda inspector. I think he served in the Dublin city centre area, among other places, during his tenure.

I will read a short note on privilege. I think most of the witnesses have been at this committee before and are familiar with the set-up, but I will read it into the record. 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 any such way as to make him, her or it identifiable or engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. If their statements are potentially defamatory in respect of an identifiable person, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks.

The format of the meeting is that each organisation will be allowed three minutes for a brief opening statement. It is quite short but we will allow them to elaborate over the course of the meeting. We generally find a short and snappy introduction to their position and organisation works well. We then have engagement with the members for the rest of the meeting.

We have a rota system. Members of the committee are allowed six minutes each for their interaction. The six minutes includes both the questions they wish to put and the responses to them. When six minutes are up, I will move onto the next member. We usually find that the first couple of questions set the tone and if you do not get your reply in the first or second round, you will probably get it in the third or fourth round. We generally get all the business done over the course of the meeting.

On housekeeping, we have a three-hour slot.

We may not need three hours. If the meeting is still going after 90 minutes we will take a short ten-minute break to allow everybody a chance to stretch their legs. We have three hours if we need that time but we will see how things go.

I now invite a representative of each organisation to make an opening statement. Each group has three minutes, starting with Mr. Slevin.