I remind members to ensure their mobile phones are switched off for the duration of the meeting. This is important because they cause serious problems for broadcasting, editorial and sound staff. Members are also reminded of the parliamentary practice that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.
The first item on the agenda is the minutes of the meeting of 30 January, which have been circulated to members. Are they agreed? Agreed.
The second item is correspondence. The joint committee has received a letter from the clerk to the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny regarding the European Commission's legislative work programme for 2008 for its consideration and written observations. If members have observations on the work programme, they may submit them; otherwise we can mark the correspondence as read. We can keep in touch with the joint committee to be updated. Is that agreed? Agreed.
I refer to a letter from the clerk to the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny in respect of five proposals for EU legislation which have been referred to this committee for its information. COM (2007) 46, which concerns statistics on public health and safety at work, is referred for information in the event that we wish to ask the CSO to keep us updated on developments on negotiations and the likely implications for Ireland. It is proposed to write to the CSO to ask it to keep us updated. Is that agreed? Agreed.
No. 2 concerns the energy tax directive referred for information in view of the Department's concern regarding the element of harmonisation involved. It is proposed to write to the Department and ask it to keep us updated. Is that agreed? Agreed.