Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I welcome everyone to this morning's meeting. We have apologies from Deputy Imelda Munster, who may be late or may not make it this morning due to another appointment.

If attending within the committee room, members and witnesses are asked to exercise personal responsibility to protect themselves and others from the risk of Covid-19.

Members of the committee attending remotely must continue to do so from within the precincts of Leinster House, and 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, and he is accompanied this morning by Mr. Peter Kingsley, deputy director of Audit at the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. They are very welcome.

This morning, we are going to engage with officials from Enterprise Ireland to examine the financial statements 2021 for Enterprise Ireland. We are joined by the following officials from Enterprise Ireland: Mr. Leo Clancy, the new CEO; Ms Gillian Brennan, divisional manager of business operations; Mr. Kevin Sherry, executive director of investment services and local markets; Dr. Carol Gibbons, divisional manager for regions and local enterprise; and Mr. Richard Murphy, department manager for the local enterprise office centre of excellence. We are also joined by Ms Karen Hynes, principal officer in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The witnesses are very welcome.

I remind all those in attendance to ensure that their mobile phones are on silent mode or switched off, and before we start, I want to explain some limitations to parliamentary privilege, and the practices of the Houses with regard to references witnesses may make to other persons in their evidence. The evidence of witnesses physically present, or who give evidence from within the parliamentary precincts, is protected pursuant to both the Constitution and statute by absolute privilege. As witnesses are within the precincts of Leinster House, they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the presentations they make to the committee. This means that they have an absolute defence against any defamation actions for anything they say at the meeting. However, they are expected not to abuse this privilege, and it is my duty as Cathaoirleach to make sure that it is not abused. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, they will be directed to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that witnesses comply with this direction.

Members are reminded of the provision of 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.

To begin this morning, I call on the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy for his opening statement.