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

Alright, if both of you are ready and if committee members are ready, I'm going to go back into public session. So I now propose that the committee return into public session, is that agreed? We now commence this afternoon's proceedings with a public hearing with Mr. Pat Cullen, managing partner of Deloitte Ireland, and Mr. Gerry Fitzpatrick, partner head of audit, Deloitte Ireland.

The Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis is now resuming in public session and I can remind members and those in the public Gallery to ensure that their mobile devices are switched off.

Today we continue our hearings with auditors who had roles during the crisis. This afternoon, we will now hear from Mr. Pat Cullen, managing partner, Deloitte Ireland, and Mr Gerry Fitzpatrick, partner, head of audit at Deloitte Ireland. Pat Cullen has been the managing partner of Deloitte Ireland since 2011. He joined Deloitte in 1978 and became a partner in 1986. Mr. Cullen is a past president of the Irish Taxation Institute. Mr. Gerry Fitzpatrick is a partner and head of audit with Deloitte. From 2004 to 2008, he was group audit partner for Ulster Bank. Mr. Cullen and Mr. Fitzpatrick, you're both welcome before the committee this afternoon.

Before I hear from the witnesses, I wish to advise both of you 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 you are directed by the Chairman to cease giving evidence in relation 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. I would remind members and those present that there are currently criminal proceedings ongoing and further criminal proceedings are scheduled during the lifetime of the inquiry, which overlap with the subject matter of the inquiry. Therefore, the utmost caution should be taken not to prejudice those proceedings. Members of the public are reminded that photography is prohibited in the committee room. To assist the smooth running of the inquiry, we will display certain documents on the screens here in the committee room and, for those sitting in the Gallery, these documents will be displayed on the screen to your left and to the right and members of the public and journalists are reminded that these documents are confidential and they should not publish any of the documents so displayed.

The witnesses have been directed to attend the meeting of the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis and you have been furnished with booklets of core documents. These are before the committee and will be relied upon in questioning and form part of the evidence of the inquiry. So, with that said, if I can now ask the clerk to administer the oath to Mr. Fitzpatrick and Mr. Cullen this afternoon.