Vice Chairman:

We will take the minutes and other items on the agenda later. Today, we are meeting with representatives of the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers, CIIC, and the Crosscare Migrant Project to discuss issues and barriers facing members of the Irish diaspora when returning to live in Ireland. From the CIIC, I welcome Aileen Leonard Dibra, executive director, joining us remotely from New York, along with her colleagues, Celine Kennelly, chair of the CIIC's board of directors and executive director of the Irish Immigration Pastoral Center, IIPC, in San Francisco, and Ciaran Staunton, from the Irish Lobby for Immigration, ILI, who is also joining us from New York. From Crosscare, we are joined by Richard King, project leader, along with his colleagues, Sarah Owen, Irish abroad networking officer, and Niall Foster, information and advocacy officer.

The format of the meeting is that we will hear the witnesses opening statements and that will be followed by questions and answers with members of the committee. I ask members to be concise in their questions to allow everyone an opportunity to participate. Members will have a second opportunity to ask questions later, if they so desire.

I remind witnesses 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 that person in any way identifiable, or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of that person or entity. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory regarding an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that any such direction is complied with. For witnesses attending remotely from outside the Leinster House campus there are some limitations to parliamentary privilege and, as such, they may not benefit from the same level of immunity from legal proceedings as a witness physically present in our meeting room does.

I thank all the witnesses for making themselves available to us today to inform our members of the issues encountered on the ground and to respond to those aspects we have asked them to address. I call Ms Leonard Dibra to deliver her opening statement