Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chuir roimh gach éinne go dtí an cruinniú se den chomhchoiste um Fhorfheidhmiú Chomhaontú Aoine an Chéasta. Go háirithe, cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Iompair agus na hoifigigh ón dtaobh Thuaidh d'ár tír. Cuirim fáilte freisin roimh Pat Doherty, MLA, MP. Is ónóir mór duinn go bhfuil siad go léir anseo. Apologies have been received from the Ministers, Mr. Conor Murphy, MLA, MP, and Ms Michelle Gildernew, MLA, MP, along with Lady Sylvia Hermon, MP, Mr. Alisdair McDonnell, MLA, MP, and Deputy Ruairí Quinn.
I remind members and those in the Visitors' Gallery to ensure their mobile phones are completely switched off for the duration of the meeting because, even in silent mode, they cause interference with the recording equipment in our committee rooms. I ask that everyone respect this instruction.
The minutes of our previous meeting on 17 April 2008 have been circulated. Are there any matters arising? Are the minutes agreed? Agreed.
We have two items of correspondence, namely, e-mails from Eoin McCann and Noreen Bowden concerning the shutdown of RTE medium wave. As this concerns a matter outside the remit of our orders of reference, I propose that these be referred to the Joint Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. They are also matters that can be raised in the context of the new Broadcasting Bill published yesterday. Is that agreed? Agreed.
The next item is the Mitchell conference. I remind all of our members who have agreed to travel to the Mitchell conference in Belfast next Thursday and Friday that the conference starts at 9 a.m. sharp on Thursday. Members are requested to be present by 8.30 a.m. in Queen's University and accommodation has been reserved for all members at the Best Western Hotel, Malone Road, Belfast, adjacent to the university, for Wednesday and Thursday nights. I appeal to all to be present at 8.30 a.m.
