The first item on the agenda is the election of a Chairperson. I now invite nominations for the position of Chair.
Election of Chairman.
Clerk to the Committee
I nominate Deputy Noel Treacy.
I second the nomination of Deputy Noel Treacy.
Clerk to the Committee
Are there any other nominations? As there are no other nominations I declare Deputy Noel Treacy elected Chairman of the committee and I invite him to take the Chair.
Deputy Noel Treacy took the Chair.
Tá fáilte roimh gach duine anseo. Is onóir mhór dom bheith tofa d'aon ghuth ar an choiste an-tábhachtach seo, An Comhchoiste um Fhorfheidhmiú Chomhaontú Aoine an Chéasta. Ar an gcéad dul síos, fearaim fíor-chaoin fáilte roimh gach duine, go háirithe na hionadaithe polaitíochta agus parlaiminte ó Thuaidh. Tá a lán oibre déanta ar feadh blianta fada ag a lán daoine ar an oileán seo faoi eachtraí polaitiúla na tíre, go háirithe na heachtraí cuimsitheacha i dtaobh Thuaidh na tíre. Tá obair iontach déanta ag na hionadaithe ó Thuaidh atá linn inniu agus gabhaim buíochas ar son mo chomhghleacaithe agus ar son Rialtas na hÉireann as ucht na dea-oibre sin. Tá mé ag súil lena gcomhoibriú agus go mbeimid in ann le chéile oibriú ar son leas mhuintir na tíre, gach aon duine ar an oileán.
I thank the clerk for convening the meeting to elect a Chairman. I sincerely thank the committee for electing me unanimously as Chairman. This is a truly historic day, one that is unprecedented in the history of our Parliament. We now have an Oireachtas joint committee in which members elected to Westminster from Northern Ireland can participate along with the Members of the Oireachtas.
On behalf of everybody here, I warmly welcome the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Ms Michelle Gildernew, MP; Mr. Eddie McGrady, MP; Dr. Alasdair McDonnell, MP; and Mr. Pat Doherty, MP. They are all most welcome to this inaugural meeting. We look forward to working with them and their colleagues in Westminster, from all parties in Northern Ireland, in the course of this committee's important work.
The people of this island have come a long way since the signing of the Downing Street Declaration by the former Prime Minister, Mr. John Major, and the former Taoiseach, Mr. Albert Reynolds, on 15 December 1993. I look forward to working with all members of the committee, from all parties, in a genuine spirit of partnership and co-operation. I am confident we will bring our combined skills, collective experience and constant enthusiasm to bear on the work ahead. We must all work together to make this a highly productive committee that discharges its functions in an efficient and enlightened way. I hope the committee will operate independently of the Executive, on an all-party basis and in a non-partisan autonomous manner. I will do my utmost to maintain that and I look forward to working with all members.