Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 1 July 2025
Committee on Defence and National Security
General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed)
2:00 am
Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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No apologies have been received.
The joint committee is continuing its pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of defence (amendment) Bill 2025. I welcome on behalf of the committee Ms Maureen O'Brien, retired major general, DSM; Mr. Kieran Brennan, retired major general; Mr. Colm Doyle, retired colonel; and Dr. Cathal Berry. The format of the meeting is that I will invite each witness to make an opening statement, which is to be followed by questions from members of the committee. Each member has a seven-minute slot to ask questions and for witnesses to respond.
I advise members of the constitutional requirement that they must be physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex to participate in public meetings. I will not permit a member to participate where they are not adhering to this constitutional requirement. Therefore, a member who attempts to participate from outside the precincts will be asked to leave the meeting. In this regard, I ask any member partaking via Microsoft Teams to confirm formally prior to making a contribution to the meeting that he or she is on the grounds of the Leinster House campus.
Both members and witnesses are reminded 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 him, her or it identifiable or otherwise engage in speech that may be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. Therefore, if 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 be complied with.
I wish to explain to witnesses some limitations to parliamentary privilege and the practice of the Houses as regards references they 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. Witnesses participating in this committee session from a jurisdiction outside the State will already have been advised that they should also be mindful of their domestic law and how it may apply to the evidence they give. Their decision as to whether to take legal advice in relation to the evidence they propose to give should also have been informed by this. One of this morning's witnesses is giving evidence remotely from a place outside the parliamentary precincts and the State and as such may not benefit from immunity from legal proceedings at the same level as a witness physically present. The witness has been advised that they may think it appropriate to take legal advice on this matter.
Finally, as the witnesses will probably be aware, the committee will publish their opening statements on its website following the meeting.
I invite Ms O'Brien to make her opening statement, which will be followed by statements by Mr. Brennan, Mr. Doyle and, finally, Dr. Cathal Berry.