Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome everyone to this morning's meeting. Apologies have been received from Deputies Imelda Munster, Colm Burke and Verona Murphy.

If attending from within the committee room, members and visitors are asked to exercise personal responsibility to protect yourself and others from the risk Covid-19. Members of the committee attending remotely must do so from within the precincts of Leinster House. This is due to the constitutional requirement that, in order to participate in public meetings, members must be physically present within the confines of the place where Parliament has chosen to sit.

The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, is a permanent witness to the committee. He is accompanied by Ms Ruth Foley, deputy director of audit at the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

This morning we will engage with officials from the office of the Regulator of the National Lottery to examine the following: the 2021 financial statements of the Regulator of the National Lottery; the National Lottery Fund; and from the 2021 Report on the Accounts of the Public Services: Chapter 19: Exchequer receipts from national lottery ticket sales.

We are joined by the following officials from the office of the Regulator of the National Lottery: Ms Carol Boate, regulator, and Mr. Derek Donohoe, deputy regulator and head of audit and finance. We are also joined by Mr. Dermot Nolan, principal officer at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. You are all very welcome. I am aware that some witnesses had a difficulty getting here but everything is okay now. We appreciate that. I remind all those in attendance to ensure their mobile phones are on silent mode or switched off.

Before we start, I wish to explain some limitations to parliamentary privilege, and the practice of the Houses as regards reference that witnesses may make to other persons in their evidence. As they are within the precincts of Leinster House, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the presentation they make to the committee. This means that witnesses have an absolute defence against any defamation action for anything they say at the meeting. However, they are expected not to abuse this privilege and it is my duty as Cathaoirleach to ensure that this privilege is not abused. Therefore, if witnesses' statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue the remarks. It is imperative that they comply with any such direction.

Members are reminded of the provisions within Standing Order 218 that the committee shall refrain from inquiring into the merits of a policy or policies of the Government, or a Minister of the Government, or the merits of the objectives of such policies. Members are also reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice 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 now call on the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, for his opening statement.