Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome everyone to our meeting this afternoon. No apologies have been received.

The first item on the agenda is the approval of the minutes of the meetings of 22, 23, 29 and 30 May 2024. The minutes have already been approved in a virtual private meeting but for procedural reasons they must be approved in public. Are the minutes agreed? Agreed. I will now read the note on privilege. I remind members of the constitutional requirement that they must be physically present within the confines of the place in which Parliament has chosen to sit, namely, Leinster House, in order to participate in public meetings. I will not permit a member to participate where he or she is not adhering to this constitutional requirement. Therefore, any member who attempts to participate from outside the precincts will be asked to leave the meeting.

Petition No. P00035/22 is on amending the Child Care Act 1991 to provide HIQA with the necessary powers to sanction Tusla, Child and Family Agency, when it fails to meet its statutory obligations from the Alliance of Birth Mothers Campaigning for Justice. I will read a few notes on privilege before I invite the main speakers in. Before we start, I will explain some limitations to parliamentary privilege and the practice of the Houses as regards references witnesses may make to other persons in their evidence. The evidence of witnesses physically present or who give evidence from within the parliamentary precincts is protected, pursuant to both the Constitution and statute, by absolute privilege. Witnesses are again 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 their 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.

Before we hear from our witnesses, I propose that we publish their opening statements on the committee website. Is that agreed? Agreed. On behalf of the committee, I extend a warm welcome to Ms Anna Kavanagh, convenor and petitioner; Dr. Finbar Markey, secretary; and Ms Michelle Monaghan, lead researcher, Alliance of Birth Mothers Campaigning for Justice. We will give them their names in stars again today - Ms Anna Kavanagh, convenor and petitioner, Dr. Finbar Markey, secretary, and Ms Michelle Monaghan, lead researcher. Ms Kavanagh will read out her opening statement followed by the other two witnesses.

I suggest this joint opening statement should last for around ten minutes. We will then have questions and comments from members and each member will have around ten minutes depending on how many members are here. Members may speak more than once. I now call on Ms Kavanagh to start her opening statement, followed by Dr. Markey and Ms Monaghan. I thank the witnesses.