At today's meeting, the committee will hear a presentation from Mr. Concubhar Ó Liatháin, who is a candidate for nomination to the board of TG4. The Broadcasting Act 2009 introduced a new method of appointment to State boards. The process was used by this committee last December to make nominations to the boards of RTE and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. For the second time, this committee has been mandated to recommend an individual for appointment to the board of a State agency. The candidate, if ratified by the committee, will join the other members of the board of TG4. The joint committee has worked hard to ensure the selection process is transparent and open, is accessible to anybody meeting the required criteria and enables us to select the best candidate for the role based on merit but subject to compliance with the legislation and best practice in appointments procedure. The interviews were facilitated by the Public Appointments Service, which gave us invaluable advice and assistance throughout the process. I emphasise our gratitude for that help. The interview board has recommended one candidate to the joint committee. The purpose of today's meeting is to give committee members a forum to question the candidate in order to confirm he has the required skills and experience to serve on the board of TG4. We are also giving the candidate an opportunity to address the full committee. On behalf of the committee, I welcome the candidate for nomination to the board of TG4, Mr. Concubhar Ó Liatháin. Before I ask him to make a ten-minute presentation to the committee and invite the members of the committee to ask questions, I call Senator O'Toole, who was a member of the interview board, to comment briefly.
Nomination to Board of TG4: Discussion
I was asked to chair the interview board. The other members of the board were Senator Corrigan, Deputy McHugh and Senator Walsh. Chuir slua mór — dhá scór duine le cúlraí éagsúla — isteach ar an jab. Tá baint acu le mórchuid gnéithe de saol na tíre. We went through a serious process ar feadh oíche fada chun shortlist a dhéanamh dóibh siúd a ghlaomar chun agallaimh. Over the course of two days, we received each candidate for an intense interview of approximately 30 minutes and then engaged in assessment and discussion. We considered a substantial number of people from various backgrounds. Many of them met all the requirements of the position. It was difficult to come up with a name. I ndeireadh an lae, táimid ag moladh go n-ainmneofar Mr. Concubhar Ó Liatháin, a man who approaches the Irish language in a modern way. He is involved in publishing and committed to digital broadcasting. He enthusiastically advocates new ways and interesting approaches. He is familiar with modern technology. He takes a broad and global view. We are keen to ensure that those dealing with the Irish language should be looking out rather than in. We feel we have chosen someone who will do that. As chairman of the appointments sub-committee, I am happy to recommend Mr. Concubhar Ó Liatháin and to hear what he has to say.
Mr. Concubhar Ó Liatháin
Sa chéad dul síos, tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo i bhur láthair inniu chun plé a dhéanamh ar m'iarratas bheith mar ionadaí an Oireachtais ar bhord TG4. Táim bródúil as bheith tagtha chomh fada seo i bpróiseas poiblí agus má cheaptar mé ag deireadh an phróisis, déanfaidh mé mo mhíle dícheall ionadaíocht ghníomhach is dhearfach a dhéanamh ar son an phobail ar bhord TG4, bratlong na Gaeilge de réir mar a fheictear domsa é.
As Cúil Aodha dom i nGaeltacht Mhúscraí agus d'fhás mé suas i bpobal ina raibh oidhreacht an cheoil agus na filíochta fite fuaite le chéile. File is múinteoir ab ea m'athair agus ba mhúinteoir a mháthair roimhis. Ní múinteoir mise, áfach, nó chaith mé na blianta i m'iriseoir agus i mo léiritheoir teilifíse i mBéal Feirste ach anois táim ar ais ar mo fhód dúchais. Le déanaí ceapadh mé i mo bhainisteoir ar chomharchumann forbartha Mhúscraí, áit a mbím ag iarraidh go leor a dhéanamh ann, turasóireacht chultúrtha agus teanga, reáchtáil ranganna Ghaeilge agus ullmhú plean teanga don cheantar ina measc. Roimhe sin bhi mé i m'eagarthóir ar an nuachtán laethúil Ghaeilge, Lá Nua, agus tráth go raibh mé sa phost sin, mhéadaigh an díolachán faoi dhó. Bhí mé ag obair leis an BBC i dTuaisceart na hÉireann mar iriseoir Idirlín. Chaith mé seal freisin i mo léiritheoir teilifíse ó Thuaidh agus ó Dheas agus thosnaigh mé mo shaol oibre i m’iriseoir leis an nuachtán áitiúil i gCiarraí, The Kingdom. Tá céim dhlí agam ó Ollscoil Chorcaí agus dioplóma iarchéime sa chumarsáid fheidhmeach ó Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh. Rinne mé cúrsaí éagsúla freisin ar nós léiriú clár teilifíse agus dearadh ilmheán agus rinne mé cúrsa idirnáisiúnta i lár na 90í agus thuilleas an dioplóma Eorpach i mbainistíocht tograí chultúrtha.
Táim pósta le Caroline agus tá beirt pháiste againn, Art, atá seacht mbliana d'aois, agus Danú, atá ceithre bliana d'aois, agus le déanaí thógamar tigh nua cóngarach do Chúil Aodha is táimid ag cónaí ann. Bíonn na páistí ag faire ar TG4 agus na cláir do pháistí, agus bíonn na tuismitheoirí ag faire ar na drámaí ar nós "Na Cloigne", "Rasaí na Gaillimhe" agus "An Crisis", cláir den scoth. Tá mé i mo bhall de Chór Chúil Aodha, an cór a bhunaigh Seán Ó Riada agus atá anois faoi stiúradh Pheadar Uí Riada, a mhac, ó bhí mé ceithre bliain d'aois — anois is arís, déanaim iarracht canadh leis an gcór, nó fanacht i dtiúin ar aon nós. Caitheamh aimsire amháin agam ar fiú é a lua agus sinn ag caint ar an iarratas seo ná go mbím ag blagáil ar mo shuíomh, iGaeilge, a bhunaigh mé tar éis dom Lá a fhagáil chun mo shuim san iriseoireacht a leanúint. Creidim go láidir gur meán é an Idirlíon don Ghaeilge, meán a chuideoidh go mór pobal atá scaipthe ar fuaid na tíre agus ar fuaid an domhain a cheangal le chéile. Tá mo chúlra san iriseoireacht ghairmiúil ina thaca liom agus mé i mbun iGaeilge agus bíonn go leor eolais ann nach bhfaighfí in áiteanna eile ar shaol na Gaeilge. Anuas ar sin, bíonn diospóireachtaí teasaí agus eolaithe ann go minic agus tá geall le 150,000 duine tar éis cuairt a thabhairt ar an suíomh ó bunaíodh é dhá bhliain ó shin.
Tá an taithí, an tsuim agus na caillíochtaí agam agus creidim go bhfuil siad oiriúnach don cheapachán seo. Nuair a chas mé ar an bhfochoiste agallaimh tuairim is coicís ó shin, phléigh mé roinnt tuairimí atá agam a chreidim a bheith ar leas TG4, leas na Gaeilge agus leas an phobail leo. Sula déarfaidh mé rud ar bith faoi sin, ba mhaith liom a rá go bhfuil meas mór agam ar an méid atá bainte amach ag TG4 ó bunaíodh é i 1996. Bhíos orthu sin a shiúl i bparáidí agus ar phicéid agus a scríobh litreacha chuig na nuachtáin ar son an staisiún seo a bhunú agus tá sé ag fiorú na físe a bhí againn don staisiún don chuid is mó. Tá roinnt tuairimí agam a chuirfeadh arís le tábhacht TG4 sa saol comhaimseartha. Maidir le cúrsaí polaitíochta, ba mhaith liom go mbeadh níos mó clár cúrsaí reatha ar TG4; tá sé léirithe ag suirbhéanna raidió go bhfuil spéis níos mó ag an bpobal i gcúrsaí reatha ná mar a bhí roimhe, dea-thoradh amháin ar an gcúlú sa gheilleagar. An rud is mó ar mhaith liom a fheiscint ná go gcraolfaí diospóireacht cheannaireachta i nGaeilge idir ceannairí na bpáirtithe ar TG4 le linn an fheachtais toghcháin atá ag teacht luath nó mall. Creidim gur bealach éifeachtach é seo nach bhfuil ró-chostasach a chur in iúl don phobal go bhfuil tábhacht leis an nGaeilge a labhairt.
Ó thaobh spóirt de, le linn na díospóireachta teasaí le déanaí faoi cé acu ar cheart don Aire cluichí Corn Heineken agus mór-imeachtaí spóirt eile a chur ar an liosta saor go h-aer, rith sé liom arís go raibh deis á cailleadh. Ós rud é go bhfuil an tír seo dátheangach go hoifigiúil, de réir na Bunreachta, nach bhféadfaí teacht ar shocrú chun cearta craoltóireachta na gcluichí móra CLG, sacair, rugbaí agus eile bheith ar fáil i nGaeilge ar TG4 agus don "highest bidder" i mBéarla? De réir figiúirí TG4, bhí 27% de sciar féachana ag an staisiún do na cluichí ceannais sna sraitheanna náisiúnta – ní miste le hÉireannaigh, fiú nach bhfuil morán Gaeilge acu, faire ar chluichí móra ar an teilifís, go háirithe nuair atá siad saor. Nuair a d'fhógair an tAire an próiseas comhairliúcháin seo, leag sé béim ar an tábhacht chultúrtha atá le mór-imeachtaí spóirt cosúil le Craobh na hÉireann, Corn an Domhain, Corn Rugbaí Heineken agus Craobh na Sé Náisiún, agus tá tábhacht chultúrtha leo. Tá tábhacht chultúrtha leis an nGaeilge freisin agus feictear dom gur slí réasúnta saor é seo chun an teanga a chur chun cinn agus réiteach a fháil ar dheacracht pholaitiúil.
Tá an-tábhacht ag baint le TG4 agus an Idirlion. Tá suíomh breá idirlín ag TG4 agus léiríonn sé go bhfuil tuiscint mhaith ag an staisiún ar an meán nua seo. D'fhéadfadh TG4 breis úsáide a bhaint as an Idirlíon. Baineann an BBC úsáid as an Idirlíon chun fuinneog a thabhairt don domhan ar chultúr na Breataine agus bheinn ag súil gurbh é sin an cur chuige a bheadh ag TG4 freisin maidir le cultúr na tíre seo. Mar shampla, cé go gcraoltar nuacht TG4 ar an Idirlíon, ní bhionn leagan téacsa ar fáil mar atá ar BBC News Online. Is seirbhís ollmhór agus an-chostasach é BBC News Online agus ní bheinn ag súil leis an tseirbhís chéanna ó TG4 ar an mbuiséad atá aige. Deirtear linn go minic gur teanga domhanda í an Ghaeilge agus tá airgead poiblí á thabhairt d'ollscoileanna chomh fada i gcéin le Béising chun an Ghaeilge a mhúineadh. Bheadh an moladh atá agam ag tacú leis an obair sin agus ag cabhrú freisin le cur chun cinn na Gaeilge sa bhaile. Nuair a chloiseann daoine ón tír seo daoine ón iasacht ag labhairt i nGaeilge, spreagann sé iad chun cur lena n-iarrachtaí féin.
Creidim go mór mór go bhfuil sé tábhachtach don Stát agus don todhchaí go mbeadh nasc láidir idir TG4 agus an pobal mór. Tá na moltaí atá déanta agam dírithe ar phobal TG4 a mhéadú; an tábhacht a bhaineann leis sin, gan amhras, ná de réir mar a méadóidh an pobal, fásfaidh TG4. Beidh an tseirbhís níos fearr agus beidh neamhspleáchas airgeadúil ón Statchiste. Nuair atá an Ghaeilge ag brath i gcónaí ar dheontais le bheith beo, caitear léi mar a chaitear le hothar ar leaba a bháis. Tá daoine buartha mar gheall uirthí, ach is ag ullmhú don tsocraid atá siad ina n-aigne féin agus an saol ina dhiaidh sin. Níl TG4 tinn ná baol air, ach tá an Ghaeilge, cé go bhfuil comharthaí dóchais ann freisin, maidir le gaelscoileanna, srl. Is é TG4 téagartha tábhachtach an oideas is fearr agus is eifeachtaí i mála leighis an Stáit chun othar na Gaeilge a thabhairt slán. Má cheaptar mé, déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall ionadaíocht dhearfach, ghníomhach agus fhónta a dhéanamh ar leas an phobail i dtreo is go bhfeicfidh daoine an luach a bhaineann le TG4 agus an Ghaeilge inár saol sa lá inniu.
I apologise for speaking in English. I welcome Mr. Ó Liatháin and thank him for his impressive and wide-ranging presentation. The list of his experience is extremely interesting. I was particularly interested to note the Carlow connection, which, I am sure, has pleased the Chairman.
In fairness, it was never mentioned before the interview board.
Yes, I also took note of that connection.
I was extremely concerned that when the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland was established, we were setting up an additional quango rather than putting in place one body to deal with communications regulation and broadcasting. Will Mr. Ó Liatháin indicate his view on whether there should be one board for RTE and TG4? Would that be a realistic prospect?
I would be extremely interested in hearing Mr. Ó Liatháin's views on the leaders' debate that will be held in the run-up to the next general election. Such a debate would be greatly enhanced if it involved the leaders of the three main parties because this would reflect the nature of our democracy. We have raised this issue with RTE and TV3. We also intend to discuss it with TG4 because holding one of the debates as Gaeilge would be an important step forward for broadcasting. I am delighted Mr. Ó Liatháin referred to this matter in his presentation.
I was extremely interested in the imaginative proposal Mr. Ó Liatháin put forward in respect of the dilemma the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Ryan, has created for himself in respect of free-to-air events. I hope the Minister will take cognisance of Mr. Ó Liatháin's proposal.
I wish Mr. Ó Liatháin well. He possesses excellent qualifications at both a personal and a professional level. It is clear he has a passion for the position, which is what is required. It has been a hallmark of TG4, since it commenced operations, that much depended on the passion of those involved with it. Mr. Ó Liatháin clearly displays such passion, which is an essential qualification.
It was important for us that someone with fresh ideas, enthusiasm and passion came forward. We expressed the view that the person involved would have the self-confidence to shake up the board if that was what was required. Struggling to keep an Irish-language newspaper going for a number of years obviously provided Mr. Ó Liatháin with the kind of background that would toughen him up and stand to him. Would Mr. Ó Liatháin have any difficulty with being in a minority of one when it comes to certain issues at board level? In such circumstances, would he stick to his guns?
Mr. Conchubar Ó Liatháin
I have been in the minority on many occasions.
Perhaps we might take questions from all members before Mr. Ó Liatháin replies.
Mr. Conchubar Ó Liatháin
That is fair enough.
I welcome this process. I have not been a Member of the Houses for very long but since I was elected, I have been an advocate of opening up the process relating to public appointments and of encouraging greater transparency in respect of it. Very little has been done in that regard, despite the existence of a commitment in the programme for Government. I compliment the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Ryan, on taking the first steps in opening up the process to which I refer. Having advocated this development for a long period, this is the first occasion on which I have been in a position to scrutinise an appointment to a State body. I welcome what is happening here today.
I agree with Deputy McManus that holding a leaders' debate in Irish would be a great development. Holding debates on the three main television stations, with the first to be——
And involving the leaders of the three main parties.
We will see how the Labour Party is doing in the polls at that stage.
No, we will not.
I certainly would not rule out such a debate, particularly if it were a realistic prospect.
It is not up to the Deputy, it is the responsibility of the broadcasters to decide who takes part in such debates.
That is absolutely correct. If it were a realistic prospect, I would not object to it. Holding the first debate in Irish would be particularly valuable because it would get matters off to a good start. In addition, people would be more likely to watch if the first debate were held in Irish. I certainly would endorse the suggestion that has been made in this regard.
I agree with what Mr. Ó Liatháin said with regard to the Official Languages Act 2003. There are certainly many better and more cost-effective ways of promoting Irish than through using the provisions of that Act. However, that is another day's work.
I am not sure how realistic is Mr. Ó Liatháin's suggestion in respect of sport. In many ways it is the pictures people are selling, not the commentary — regardless of the language in which it is broadcast. The Minister may want to consider this suggestion. Realistically, however, it is the pictures rather than the commentary that are being auctioned.
I do not watch TG4 very much but, as I am trying to improve my Irish, I am trying to watch a little bit more of it. I usually try to watch "South Park" because if I have already seen the episode in English, then I can, to a certain degree, follow what is happening. Some of the documentaries broadcast on TG4 are of an extremely high quality and are as good as anything transmitted by RTE or the BBC. I am interested to hear Mr. Ó Liatháin's views, first, in terms of the documentary output from TG4 and, second, as to whether there are concerns about the level of programming in English given quite a few programmes are in English rather than Irish.
Mr. Concubhar Ó Liatháin
I thank members for their kind words. With regard to whether there should be just one board to cover TG4 and RTE, the reason TG4 came about in the first place was due to the failure of RTE to adequately give a platform to the Irish language within its schedule. To subsume TG4 back into RTE at this point would be a backward step. TG4 has shown itself to be a very effective and cost-effective way of promoting the Irish language. I wish only that it had more resources to promote the language or to fill its schedules with more Irish language programmes.
This brings me to Deputy Varadkar's point on there being a lot of English on the television station. There is just four hours per day of Irish language programming on TG4 and the remainder is English language programming which attracts the advertising which funds the Irish language programming. There is room for more cost-effective programming on TG4. Although there is much high quality programming, there is a need for much more programming and this does not need to be resource intensive. Current affairs programming is one area which does not need as much resources as other areas, particularly discussion programmes, but TG4 does not have them.
With regard to the leaders' debate, people in the Irish language community often feel the entire discourse of the nation is carried out in English and that the Irish language is on the margins and outside the main marketplace. To have a leaders' debate in Irish before a general election is one idea, and I have no objection to having a three-way leadership debate — perhaps there should be more than three but that is a question for another day. I saw the opportunity in the sense that the leaders of the main parties all have fluent Irish, have all spoken in Irish in public and would not be shy of taking another opportunity to put their views before the nation. I thought this was a good opportunity to push that open door.
I want to have the leaders of the country speaking to the people as Gaeilge in as much as is possible and then to encourage that dialogue to continue, so people then see that Irish is relevant. If people who are studying Irish in school, whether it is compulsory at leaving certificate, see their leaders speaking in Irish, they will at least have an extra reason to apply themselves more to learning the language. I know that it is not purely a problem of application to learning but that there is also a teaching problem and a wide range of other problems in the education system. We need to give people encouragement and one of the ways to do this is to put the leaders of the country before the nation speaking as Gaeilge in a situation where people will be watching or listening to it. For example, I know there are some days where the Dáil has debates in Irish and, while it is all very well and proper, it is not really relevant to the affairs of the nation on that day. Sometimes it seems like a show of cúpla focal rather than relevant debate.
Senator O'Toole asked whether I would be in a minority of one on the board of TG4. I am not sure. I have been in the minority previously in different situations. The only thing to do is to make the argument, have the discussion and see how matters work out. My ideas may be all very well and good at this level but when a broadcaster examines them in detail, problems might be found. Then again, the broadcaster may have other ways of figuring out how to bring the idea about and make it possible. I do not pretend I have all the answers or that I am infallible on that issue. I will be willing to learn from my fellow board members but I hope they will be willing to take on board the ideas I have and to find what we can come out with in the end.
Deputy Varadkar commented with regard to the issue of sports that it is the pictures that are being bought, not the commentary. In Wales, one can watch the Heineken cup in Welsh and in English with no problem. I do not understand why we cannot have a two-tier approach where the rights are available for commentary as Gaeilge and in English. The Constitution is bilingual; we have two official languages. I do not understand why we cannot make that work for us, rather than it always being perceived in regard to connotations of the Official Languages Act, useless translations and the like. We need to work——
We teased this out in great detail with Mr. Ó Liatháin at the interview, including the whole Sianel Pedwar Cymru, or S4C, issue and the choices available in Wales. He left us with a very clear challenge: if they can do it in Wales, why can they not do it Ireland?
The question is that the IRFU argues it will lose an enormous sum of money if the Minister pursues the line he has stated he will pursue. My understanding from what Mr. Ó Liatháin is saying is that free-to-view coverage would be on TG4. Is there any way of examining the Welsh model and deciding it still has monetary value to have the English coverage as a commodity to be sold? I do not know the situation in Wales and perhaps Mr. Ó Liatháin could explain it.
Mr. Concubhar Ó Liatháin
That is my understanding of it. One is able to watch the Heineken cup with Welsh commentary or English commentary. The Welsh commentary can be provided. We will be opening up to the world of digital television in the next few years so one could have several approaches. One could have Irish commentary on TG4 and English commentary on RTE, or one could have Irish and English commentary on the same channel by pushing, say, the red or blue button. There would be more of an incentive for it to happen on TG4 because it cannot compete with RTE, Sky or Setanta for the rights of the major sporting events, which are completely out of its price range.
For sporting fixtures that are already free to air, it would make a lot of sense to explain to TG4 that, as it is free to air, it can show it also with commentary in Irish even though RTE is showing it in English. The difficulty I have with fixtures that are not free to air is that if TG4 was allowed to have them free to air, this would devalue the price RTE would then pay for them. If TG4 gets them for free, RTE will not pay €10 million or €12 million for them, and might end up paying just €1 million or €2 million, which is a huge loss to sporting organisations. However, for fixtures that are already free to air, it would make a lot of sense to encourage TG4 to show them also with commentary in Irish.
The point teased out with Mr. Ó Liatháin is very close to Deputy Varadkar's point. If RTE is showing the football and hurling all-Ireland finals, why could they not also be available on TG4 as Gaeilge? It is about choice.
As Senator O'Toole said, we teased out the issue regarding free-to-air broadcasts as Gaeilge. What impressed the interview board in this regard was Mr. Ó Liatháin's ability to think outside the box and to be creative. Regardless of whether such an initiative would be appropriate for TG4, it was his ability to be creative and to come up with a different perspective that impressed us.
I thank Mr. Ó Liatháin for his presentation. I am particularly interested in the points he made regarding TG4 on the Internet and the example he used of the BBC's on-line news service. He made the point that the BBC uses its website to give the world a window on British culture and that he sees this as something TG4 could emulate. Will Mr. Ó Liatháin expand on that?
Mr. Concubhar Ó Liatháin
At the moment one can watch a lot of TG4's programming via the on-line player which is similar to the player available on RTE's website. I envisage TG4 developing its website offering by making the news available on-line as Gaeilge. There is currently no authoritative on-line source of news as Gaeilge. In my previous job we tried to provided a daily service as Gaeilge on the web but it was difficult because we were also trying to put a newspaper out with a very small staff. There are possibilities of using the material that is used for the news on TG4 and putting it out as a text report with links to the video and audio. It is merely a question of repackaging the same material. That would be one way of doing it, but there are other ways.
TG4 does not have a way of attracting people to it, for example, it does not go out on Facebook or Twitter. There is a substantial demand for learning Irish not only in Ireland, but around the world. I was at home one Saturday evening when I got a telephone call from a man in Vancouver, Canada, who wanted to speak with somebody in Irish. Having trawled the Internet and discovered my home telephone number, we proceeded to speak as Gaeilge for 20 minutes. This shows the demand among people to participate in Irish language conversations. We are spending money on teaching Irish in universities in the United States, China, Poland and elsewhere. There is no reason that we cannot use TG4 more actively in this regard, and this would be of benefit to the station in the long run.
I welcome Mr. Ó Liatháin and wish him every success, just as he been very successful in his other roles up to now. I read his presentation and found it very impressive; the interview panel could not pick anybody else after reading that. I am sure he is the right man for the job and I will be sure to watch TG4 more often in future.
I also welcome Deputy Varadkar who is a new member of the committee. I look forward to working with him. However, we will miss Deputy Coveney who was a very pleasant, courteous and mannerly man. We all enjoyed many pleasant hours of discussion with him and he made great contributions on all occasions. As Deputy Varadkar may guess, many of those contributions lasted at least an hour. I am sure Deputy Varadkar will be able to keep that up.
Is it agreed by the committee to recommend Mr. Ó Liatháin as the Minister's nominee to the board of TG4? Agreed. On behalf of the committee I congratulate Mr. Ó Liatháin and wish him well in his term of office. As my colleagues have indicated, they are satisfied he will bring something very constructive to the board. On a personal note, he is clearly a man of great taste given that he came to Carlow to find a wife. I am sure she is delighted at his recommendation.
I thank the sub-committee under the chairmanship of Senator O'Toole, and including Senators Corrigan and Walsh, for its work in recommending a nominee to the board of TG4. I also thank the Public Appointments Service for its work, particularly Ms Margaret O'Donnell, and our own staff, especially Ms Patricia Doran who is unfortunately ill at the moment but is making a full recovery.
I remind members that the committee will meet tomorrow in a joint meeting with the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security, which will be addressed by the United States Under-Secretary for Energy. Deputy Coveney's report will be launched at 1.30 p.m. today in the AV room.