I said at my inaugural meeting as Chairman that I would not read the exact wording of the mobile telephone notice. If people have mobile telephones or iPhones, they know the drill. The minutes of the previous meeting, of 21 June, have been circulated. Are any matters arising? No. Are they agreed for signature? Agreed.
We will meet representatives of Hanna's House to discuss the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security on the island of Ireland, North and South. I had the privilege of meeting the organisation and the witnesses were kind enough to say it was a lot less than a year ago. The organisation is doing good work and it is very welcome today. We are interested in what its members have to say. I encourage committee members to use the opportunity to find out more about the organisation.
Before I invite the witnesses to make their presentations I remind them that, by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence you are to give this committee. If you are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence in relation to a particular matter and you continue to so do, you are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of your evidence. You are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and you are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, you should not criticise nor make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.
For the information of committee members and those in the Visitors Gallery, the Hanna's House project was created in the mid-90s to mobilise the collective energy of women to work towards feminist ideals of justice, equality and non-violence. The group hosts seminars, workshops and meetings to bring together women from diverse backgrounds to talk about the legacy of the conflict on the island of Ireland and what a feminist peace means to them. Hanna's House has developed a strategic alliance, which is a group more than of 50 women from all corners of Ireland working together to create a more just, equal and non-violent society. In our journey, we are trying to develop a deeper understanding of the conflict and we are always interested in people's perspective.