Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome to session B Mr. Pat Lardner, CEO of the Irish Funds Industry Association; Mr. Frank O'Dwyer, CEO of the Irish Association of Investment Managers; Mr. Gavin Purtill, head of capital markets and Mr. Felix Regan, head of communications, both at the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland. The format of this session will be the same as the last. Mr. Lardner, Mr. O'Dwyer and Mr. Purtill will each make opening remarks of no more than five minutes each. A question and answer session will follow to clarify any matters.

I remind members, witnesses, and those in the Public Gallery that all mobile phones must be switched off.

I advise the witnesses 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 committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter to only 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 are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.