Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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We will now commence the meeting with the ambassador, Mr. Dan Mulhall. We have had a busy morning, including a meeting with the Israeli ambassador and deputy ambassador. We also had one of the executives of the World Bank in, so we have had a busy day.
I wish to remind members, witnesses and those in the public gallery to ensure that their mobile phones are switched off completely for the duration of the meeting as, even on silent mode, they do cause interference with recording equipment in the committee rooms. This is particularly important today, as we are privileged that our meeting is being broadcast live. Many people will consequently be watching the meeting, so it is important to turn off mobile phones.
In advance of hearing the ambassador's presentation, 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 or body outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it 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 the joint committee. However, if they are directed by the Chairman 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 further 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.

I welcome Ireland's ambassador to Great Britain, His Excellency Mr. Dan Mulhall, who has had a distinguished career in the diplomatic service over the past 35 years or so. His current post, to which he was appointed last year, is one of the most important and prominent in the diplomatic circle. It is a privilege for anyone to serve as ambassador to our nearest neighbour. Members will be aware of the long-standing and strong ties between Ireland and Britain, particularly in relation to trade, as underlined by the fact that approximately €1 billion is exchanged between our countries each week. It is a huge amount of money, representing the volume of trade between our countries. It is also the case that many thousands of Irish people have made Britain their home down through the years. A couple of months ago we had the historic state visit by President Higgins and three years before that we had the visit of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. These have been two very important milestones in the history of both countries. The ambassador was very involved in the visit of President Higgins.

The format of today's meeting will be a presentation by the ambassador, followed by a question and answer session with members of the joint committee. The ambassador is very welcome. This is the first of a number of meetings the committee will have with our overseas diplomats. It is very important that we keep in touch with our diplomats, who are the eyes and ears of our country abroad. It is important for the public to know about their work, what is happening between our countries, the status of our relationships and what ambassadors plan to do. We are not scrutinising the ambassador's appointment or anything like that. It is simply that it is important for the committee and the public to know what is going on. This is part of our role as the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade.