The minutes of the meeting of 27 January have been circulated. Do any matters arise? Are they agreed? Agreed.

We have one item of EU scrutiny, concerning decisions taken by the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny on 28 January 2010. We also have a proposal for a Council decision on the signing of an agreement within member states of the European Community amending the current agreement on trade, development and co-operation with South Africa. It is proposed that this be noted. Agreed? Agreed.

We shall now go into private session to deal with correspondence. Our guest is being welcomed in the Dáil Chamber and will be here shortly.

The joint committee went into private session at 11.35 a.m. and resumed in public session at 11.50 a.m.

I remind members that phones and Blackberries should be turned off completely because even in silent mode they interfere with recording equipment. Before we commence the discussion, I acknowledge that this is international Holocaust memorial week. On behalf of the committee, I express our solidarity with Jewish communities throughout the globe as they remember this most horrible and shameful episode in recent European history.

We all wish to be associated with those remarks.

I wish to associate my party with the remarks also, given the absence of more distinguished representation.

Are there more distinguished members?