John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Welcome to the joint sitting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food. In accordance with Standing Order 107(b), the quorum is four. The quorum of both committees shall apply, with the modification that each such quorum shall be halved and then rounded up to the nearest whole number. Standing Order 103 on functions of the departmental select committees states:

...the following may be notified accordingly and shall have the right to attend and take part in such consideration without having a right to move motions or amendments or the right to vote:

(i) members of the European Parliament elected from constituencies in Ireland...

I am joined by my colleague, Deputy Aindrias Moynihan, who will co-chair the committee meeting. He is Chair of the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food and will chair the second half of the session and will conclude it.

Apologies have been received from Deputies Bennett and Shay Brennan and Senator Ahearn who are away on committee business, as well as Deputy Noel McCarthy. Apologies have also been received from Senators Stephenson, Lynch and Collins. Deputy Toole will substitute for Deputy Danny Healy-Rae.

Before we begin, I bring to the Commissioner's attention that witnesses giving evidence from within the parliamentary precincts are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give to the committee. This means that witnesses have a full defence in any defamation action for anything said at a committee meeting. However, witnesses are expected not to abuse this privilege and may be directed to cease giving evidence on an issue at the Chair's discretion. Witnesses should follow the direction of the Chair in this regard and are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that, as is reasonable, no adverse commentary should be made against an identifiable third person or entity. Privilege against defamation does not apply to the publication by witnesses outside the proceedings held by the committee of any matters arising from those proceedings.

Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against any person outside the Houses or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. Parliamentary privilege is considered to apply to the utterances of members participating online when their participation is from within the parliamentary precincts. Members may not participate online in a public meeting from outside the parliamentary precincts and any attempt to do so will result in members having their online access to the meeting removed.

Members have been made aware of the agreed format of the meeting, which, in the interest of time, I will not give detail on. The secretariat has circulated copies. I ask members to note that the engagement has to finish no later than 1.50 p.m. as the Commissioner has further engagements. They should also bear in mind that their time allocation includes the response time and we will be strict about that.

I take the opportunity to welcome the Commissioner and his officials to the meeting, the purpose of which is to allow for engagement with Commissioner Maroš Šefovi, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency. I will allow him five minutes to make his opening statement or a brief synopsis of it. We will then proceed to a question-and-answer session.