Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
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There are two items on the agenda. The first is a discussion with the European Movement Ireland which will present its accountability report for 2011. It will also speak about the European year of the citizen, which is next year, and the Irish Presidency of the European Union. After the presentation and discussion with the European Movement Ireland, we will be joined in private session by the UK EU scrutiny committee.

We will then be joined, in private session, by members of the UK's European scrutiny committee. We will probably need to allow at least an hour for a full and frank discussion with Mr. Cash and his colleagues.

We will now move to our first item and on behalf of the committee, I welcome Ms Noelle O'Connell who is the executive director of the European Movement Ireland, EM Ireland, and her colleague, Mr. Neale Richmond. The witnesses will address the committee on their 2011 accountability report. They will also comment on the forthcoming European Year of Citizens 2013 and on our Presidency, which starts on 1 January 2013.

I remind members 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. By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. If they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. Witnesses are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, 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.