As members will be aware, Deputy Carey is stepping down as vice-chairman of the joint committee. I am pleased he will remain a member of the committee. We now have a vacancy for vice-chairman and Standing Order 88(2) provides that every committee shall elect one of its members to be vice-chairman. I now call for nominations for vice-chairman.
Election of Vice-Chairman.
I propose Deputy Mulcahy.
I second that.
Are there any other nominations? As there are no other nominations I declare Deputy Mulcahy elected as vice-chairman. I look forward to working with Deputy Mulcahy and welcome him to the committee.
I congratulate Deputy Mulcahy and wish him well. I also want to pay tribute to the interest Deputy Carey took as vice-chairman of the committee and I am delighted he will continue to be a member of the committee.
I wish to be associated with those remarks.
I congratulate Deputy Carey on his high prestige appointment as joint chair of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body.
I endorse that. I think he has recovered from his trip to Uganda and elsewhere. In private session I would like to discuss the end-of-year dinner since we missed out on it last year.
The bi-annual event.
We have very few dates left in our diaries.
As the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs I suggest Paris as the location for the dinner.
The minutes of the meeting held on 9 November 2004 were circulated with the agenda for this meeting. Are they in order? Agreed. Are there any matters arising from the minutes?
Sitting suspended at 2.07 p.m. and resumed at 2.10 p.m.