Apologies have been received from Deputies Quinn and Harkin.
In accordance with an order of the Dáil of this day Deputies Gay Mitchell and Jim O'Keeffe have been discharged from the committee and Deputies Deasy and Allen have been appointed in their places. I welcome Deputy Deasy, who is present, and Deputy Allen, who will probably join us later.
Are there nominations for the position of Chairman?
I nominate Deputy Deasy.
I second that nomination.
As there are no other nominations, I have great pleasure in declaring Deputy Deasy elected and I call on him to take the Chair.
Deputy Deasy took the Chair.
I thank Deputies Haughey and Andrews and Senator Ormonde.
I congratulate Deputy Deasy on his election as Chairman. I have no doubt he will do an excellent job. This is one of the most interesting committees in the Houses. His predecessor, Deputy Gay Mitchell, was Chairman not just of this committee but also of the Sub-Committee on European Scrutiny and did a first-rate job. Deputy Mitchell displayed complete commitment, energy and enthusiasm in the job. We have many important items with which to deal in the coming months and I wish the Chairman well. I assure him of full co-operation from members on this side.
I thank the Deputy for his comments.
I congratulate Deputy Deasy on his election as Chairman. He is a fellow countyman of mine and I have no doubt that he will do a good job.
I thank the Senator.
I congratulate the Chairman and wish him well. I am sure he will find the work of the committee interesting. We deal with a broad spectrum of matters and have a heavy workload. The Chairman is taking over at a very interesting time, particularly as the committee is considering Turkish accession to the European Union and other issues. The former Chairman, Deputy Gay Mitchell, did a great deal to raise the profile of the committee and I would not expect Deputy Deasy to have any difficulty in matching the interaction his predecessor had with the media.
We often discuss the need to try to ensure that members of the public are aware of the work we do and the importance of that work. The new Chairman will have a major role to play in that regard. I wish him well and I am sure he will enjoy the work of the committee.
I thank the Senator.
I am not a member of the committee but I join colleagues in congratulating the Chairman and wishing him every success in his new role.
I thank the Deputy.
