The first item on the agenda is the nomination and election of a Chairman. I invite nominations in that regard.
Election of Chairman.
Clerk to the Committee
I propose Deputy John Cregan.
I second the proposal.
Clerk to the Committee
As there are no other nominations, I deem Deputy Cregan elected and call on him to take the Chair.
Deputy John Cregan took the Chair.
I thank members for electing me and I also thank those who proposed and seconded my nomination. It is a great honour to be elected Chairman of the committee and I look forward to working with all members in a genuine spirit of partnership and co-operation. I hope we will be able to combine our skills and enthusiasm in order to make the committee as productive as its predecessor.
I welcome the members of the committee, particularly those who are newly elected to the Dáil and Seanad. In the 29th Dáil the committee dealt with communications, marine and natural resources. The marine function has now been transferred to other Departments. The remit of the previous committee was wide-ranging and I pay tribute to its members who have left us a legacy and a major body of work. It is my wish that we should build on the latter.
I will endeavour to be as fair and as impartial as possible to all members of the committee. In my opinion, a united, non-partisan approach, under which all members can contribute and feel that their efforts are worthwhile, will yield the best results and add value to the parliamentary committee process.