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

I welcome everyone to the 14th public hearing of the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis. During our sessions this week, we will hear from a number of witnesses on the theme of relationships between state authorities, political parties, elected representatives, supervisory authorities, banking institutions and the property sector. Later this morning, we will hear from Professor Niamh Hardiman on systems of governance. However, at our first session this morning, we will hear from Professor David Farrell, a professor of politics at UCD, to discuss the issue of public policy in parliamentary democracies. He is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and a specialist in the study of parties, elections, electoral systems and Members of Parliament. His current research focuses on the role of deliberation in constitutional reform processes. In 2012, he was elected president of the Political Studies Association of Ireland. In 2013, he was elected speaker of the council of the European Consortium for Political Research. He is founding co-editor of the publication Party Politics. Prior to his move to Dublin, he was professor and head of social sciences at the University of Manchester. He is very welcome to the inquiry this morning.

By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. If they are directed by the Chairman to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given. As the witness has been informed previously, the committee is asking witnesses to refrain from discussing named individuals in this phase of the inquiry.

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 invite Professor Farrell to make his opening comments.