As we have a quorum, I call the meeting to order in public session. I ask members to ensure their mobile telephones and BlackBerrys are switched off completely for the duration of this meeting. We have received apologies from Deputies Maureen O'Sullivan and Derek Byrne.
The first item on the agenda is the election of a Chairman. I invite nominations for the position of Chairman of the joint committee.
I propose Deputy Pat Breen.
I second that proposal.
As there are no other nominations, I call on Deputy Pat Breen to take the Chair.
Deputy Pat Breen took the Chair.
I thank all my colleagues for electing me as Chairman of this very important committee. I thank Senator Deirdre Clune for proposing me and my constituency colleague from Clare, Deputy Michael McNamara, for seconding the proposal.
This is a very important committee in that, unlike the former committee, it is also responsible for trade. The committee, therefore, has an enhanced role and certain trade promotion functions. As members will know, when the Tánaiste recently called back our overseas ambassadors he informed them their new role as Irish ambassadors is to ensure that they promote trade. It is important that this committee have the same remit. Our top priority, which is extremely important, is to focus very much on trade and promote it at every opportunity when we meet. The members and I should inform people that Ireland is open for business and that there will certainly be no change to our corporate tax rate.
It is extremely important that we rebuild relationships, including those with other parliamentarians. A member of this committee, Deputy Bernard Durkan, very much emphasised this in his former role as Chairman of the Joint Committee on European Affairs. It is important that we emphasise that Ireland is a location for foreign direct investment and that it is open for business. This is part of our new trade-related remit. Obviously, the joint committee will focus on other issues such as human rights. It will be important for the joint committee to continue to pursue any human rights abuses. Irish Aid has formed part of this committee's business in recent years and as members are aware, Ireland has an international reputation in this regard, built on its long commitment to helping the poor. The joint committee will continue to address this issue. I look forward to working with members in a genuine spirit of partnership and co-operation. Members bring much experience to the joint committee and I am confident we will bring to bear our combined skills, experience and enthusiasm on our forthcoming workload, that we will be highly productive and will discharge our functions in an efficient and enlightened manner. The spirit of the joint committee should be to strive to have achieved much for the country by the end of its lifetime and its workload should reflect that.
As was the case in the 30th Dáil, this joint committee will operate independently of the Executive and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It will continue the tradition of operating on an all-party basis in a non-partisan and magnanimous manner, which also is extremely important.
