Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Jeremy Masding, group chief executive officer, Permanent TSB, who is accompanied by Mr. Glen Lucken, group chief financial officer, Mr. Shane O'Sullivan, managing director of the asset management unit, and Mr. Ger Mitchell, mortgage, consumer finance and insurance director. I also welcome the inter-parliamentary group from the Bundestag who are in the Visitors Gallery. I hope they find today's meeting interesting. The format of the meeting is that Mr. Masding will make an opening statement. In advance of the meeting, we collated questions from members and submitted these to Permanent TSB. I thank Mr. Masding and his staff for their responses in writing to these queries, which we received last Monday. The responses have been distributed to members. Together with the input of our witnesses today, I hope all the key topics will be covered. None the less, a question and answer session will follow to clarify any matter that might arise.

I remind members, witnesses and people in the Visitors Gallery to ensure their mobile phones are 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 the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a 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 they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person, 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 House or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I now invite Mr. Masding to make his opening statement.