Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Apologies have been received from Deputy Ó Laoghaire and Deputy Crowe is substituting for him.

The joint committee will receive a briefing from the senior Department of Defence and Defence Forces' management in respect of recent Air Corps developments. I welcome on behalf of the committee Ms Jacqui McCrum, Secretary General and Ms Clare Tiernan, assistant secretary, Department of Defence; Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy, Chief of Staff, Defence Forces; Brigadier General Rory O'Connor, general officer commanding, Air Corps; and Mr. Declan Carville, assistant secretary and head of strategic human resources in the Defence Forces. Their accompanying officials and officers are also welcome.

The format of the meeting is that I will invite Ms McCrum and Lieutenant General Mulcahy to each make an opening statement. This will be followed by questions from members of the committee. Each member has a seven-minute slot to ask questions and for the witnesses to respond. Members can indicate that they want to contribute.

I advise members of the constitutional requirement that they must be physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex in order to participate in public meetings. I will not permit members to participate where they are not adhering to this constitutional requirement. Therefore, any member who attempts to participate from outside the precincts will be asked to leave the meeting. In this regard I would ask any member participating via MS Teams that prior to making their contribution to the meeting he or she confirms they are on the grounds of the Leinster House campus.

Members and witnesses 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 their statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity I will direct them to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that they comply with any such direction.

As witnesses are probably aware, the committee will publish the opening statements on its website following the meeting. I invite Ms McCrum to make her opening statement, followed by Lieutenant General Mulcahy.