I welcome the members of the committee to its 12th meeting. As Chairman, I am pleased that we have been able to reach consensus on so many important points in working on this report. I thank my fellow members of the committee, including the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, and the Minister of State for children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, as ex officio members of the committee. Their inclusion on this committee has added an enormous impetus to the work of the committee and, with the advice of their departmental officials and the departmental backup, has added significantly to the weight of the report.
I thank our legal advisers, Mr. Shane Murphy and Mr. Seán Guerin, for their invaluable assistance to the committee in finalising the report. Their work has been of the highest degree of expertise and impartiality. Thanks are also due to the special advisers for the parties, Ms Máire Whelan, SC, Ms Orla Crowe, Mr. Lorcan Connolly and also Mr. Barry Ward, for their excellent work in advancing the work of the committee, and I wish to acknowledge the generosity of the Ministers in lending their expertise.
I formally propose that the report be adopted by this committee and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas immediately. Is that proposal agreed? Agreed.
We will begin a press conference in the audio-visual room at 1 p.m., at which copies of the report will be distributed. I remind members that the report remains confidential and does not attract parliamentary privilege until it has been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. I suggest that we reconvene after the press conference.
