Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Before we begin, I remind members and witnesses to turn off their mobile phones. We are meeting the Minister for Finance and for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, to scrutinise the draft stability programme update, SPU, which the Minister published on Tuesday, 16 April. The stability programme is an important pre-budget update on the Government's budgetary and fiscal planning for budget 2020. The SPU is due to be submitted to the European Commission at the end of April. This is a useful opportunity for the committee to engage with the Minister and provide him with feedback on the SPU before it is finalised. I welcome the Minister, who is accompanied by Mr. John McCarthy, chief economist at the Department of Finance, Mr. Brendan O'Leary, assistant principal at the Department of Finance, and Mr. John Kinnane, principal officer at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I thank the Minister for updating the committee.

Before we hear the Minister's opening statement, I draw witnesses' attention to the position of privilege which applies to all witnesses. 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 committee. If, however, 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. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and they are asked to respect 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.

Members are reminded 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.

I again thank the Minister for appearing before the committee and invite him to make his opening statement.