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

As we have a quorum, the committee is now in public session and session 1 this morning is a public hearing with Dr. Julien Mercille, University College Dublin, on the role of the media during the property boom in Ireland in the banking crisis of 2002-07.

I welcome everyone to the 16th public hearing of the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis. During our sessions this week we are hearing from a number of witnesses on the role of the media during the property boom in the lead into the banking crisis 2002-07 and any changes in approach after the crisis. At our first session this morning we will hear from Dr. Julien Mercille, lecturer at UCD's school of geography, planning and environmental policy. I welcome Dr. Mercille before the inquiry.

Dr. Mercille holds a PhD from UCLA and an MA from the University of Kentucky. His research focuses on global politics, international political economy, US foreign policy, media studies, and the war on drugs, from a critical political economy perspective. He has published extensively on those subjects in peer reviewed journals, book manuscripts, as well as in the media, and appears on television and radio regularly as an expert in current affairs. In addition to his academic writing, he is a regular analyst and commentator for publications such as Asia Times, openDemocracy, Truthout, The Irish Times, The Sunday Business Postand al-Jazeeraamong others. Dr. Mercille is also author of the book, The Political Economy and Media Coverage of the European Economic Crisis: The Case of Ireland.

Before I begin I wish to advise the witness that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this 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 and as they have 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.

With that said, I invite Dr. Mercille to make his opening comments.