Our society has seen marvellous progress in combating the worst effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and beginning the journey towards a resumption of our normal, everyday lives without the losses, fears and restrictions that were hallmarks of the past two years. The Chief Executive describes in his report how the NTMA responded to these developments in 2021. This strong response to the pandemic has been overshadowed to date in 2022 by the dreadful human suffering and loss of life as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. As we look with horror at the events unfolding there, we are very conscious that there are and will be significant economic consequences but that, above all else, this is a grave humanitarian crisis.

Uncertainty, and the potential for disruption, are an unwelcome, but ever-present, part of our lives. In my time as Chairperson of the NTMA, it has become clear to me that one of the Agency’s greatest strengths is the resilience, flexibility and adaptability of the organisation and its people.

These qualities are valuable at the best of times, but their value is especially evident in the difficult times that we have collectively gone through in recent years.

Despite the immense challenges that have arisen from the pandemic and from the geopolitical shock that has accompanied the war in Ukraine, and the knowledge that there are many other risks and uncertainties that are capable of disrupting our lives, our society and our economy, I have great confidence in the Agency’s ongoing ability to deal with these challenges and to continue carrying out its wide range of mandates on behalf of the State to the rigorously high standards that are expected of us.

In the 2020 Annual Report I paid tribute to the professionalism and dedication shown by people throughout the Agency as we worked together, often embracing new and unfamiliar ways of working, to ensure that the NTMA could continue to perform all the duties that have been entrusted to us.