Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

No. 7 is scrutiny of COM (2012) 280 which relates to a framework for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions and investment firms in the European Union. I welcome Mr. Aidan Carrigan, Mr. Pat Casey, Mr. Kevin Nolan, Ms Mairéad McGuinness and Mr. Cathal Sheridan from the Department of Finance and Mr. Greg Dempsey and Mr. Greg Lavelle from the Central Bank of Ireland. Mr. Carrigan will make some opening remarks and we will follow that with a question and answer session.

I advise witnesses that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009 they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. If you are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence relating 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 or persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Members are reminded of the long-standing ruling of the Chair to the effect 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.

I welcome Mr. Carrigan and his colleagues and I call on him to make his opening statement.