As we have a quorum, I call the meeting to order.
The first item on the agenda is the election of a Chairman. I invite nominations for the position of Chairman of the joint committee.
Election of Chairman
Clerk to the Committee
I propose Deputy Andrew Doyle. He was an excellent Chairman of the last joint Oireachtas committee which encompassed communications, natural resources, energy, agriculture, food and the marine. He was also a spokesperson on agriculture when Fine Gael was in opposition. I am happy to propose Deputy Doyle as Chairman of the committee.
I second that.
Clerk to the Committee
As there are no other nominations, I declare Deputy Andrew Doyle Chairman of the committee and I invite him to take the Chair.
At the inaugural meeting I put forward another nomination for the Chair because I felt that it was good to have somebody aside from a Government party member in the Chair. Having said that, I found Deputy Doyle as Chairman to be very independent and fair. He is doing an excellent job and even if I had been here in time, I would not have opposed the nomination.
Deputy Andrew Doyle took the Chair.
I thank Deputy Heydon and Senator O'Brien for proposing and seconding my nomination as Chairman, and I also thank the remaining committee members for seeing fit not to nominate anybody else. It is an honour to do this job, although it has been quite time-consuming with the two portfolios. We have all learned much from our role in dealing with matters relating to communications and natural resources, and in many ways they dovetail with agricultural issues if broadcasting and communications are dealt with elsewhere.
In the upcoming year we will be dealing with the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy, trying to maximise their agricultural potential. We also have resources in the marine and forestry. It is therefore appropriate, with the upcoming EU Presidency, that a committee of the Houses will be able to concentrate on and support the position of the Department and the Irish Government. To date we have managed to produce support documentation in both fisheries and agriculture, which have been unanimously agreed, and if we keep that up, we can prove that committees can work. We have done this already and I hope, with the co-operation of committee members, to do it again.
The Chairperson of any committee is only as good as the collective membership. I can offer a little navigation expertise but other than that it is up to committee members to engage positively or negatively on matters. I hope to continue in our previous vein, and I hope to continue being as fair as possible. I appreciate the comments from Deputy Colreavy.
I congratulate the Chairman and wish him well in the position. Over the past 14 or 15 months-----
It was only 12 months.
-----the Chairman excelled in his position, despite being responsible for a very large portfolio. I wish him every success in what will be a challenging job over the next 12 months, particularly with all the ongoing negotiations. I look forward to working with the Chairman and wish him every success.
I thank the Deputy. Standing Orders provide that as soon as is possible after the election of a Chairman, every committee shall elect one of its members to be Vice Chairman. Is it agreed to elect a Vice Chairman at today's meeting? Agreed. I invite nominations for the position of Vice Chairman.