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

So I'm calling the meeting into public session. Is that agreed? Agreed. The Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis is now resuming again in public session and, as I've said, I'll be asking those members and those in the public Gallery to ensure their mobile devices are off.

Today we continue our hearings with the senior officials from the Department of Finance who had key roles during and after the crisis period. At our present session we will now hear from Mr. Derek Moran, current Secretary General at the Department of Finance.

Derek Moran has worked in the Department of Finance since 1989, from July 2003 to July 2014, he was an assistant secretary to the Department while his responsibilities, where his responsibilities included the budget and economic division, the tax policy division, the fiscal policy division and human resources. He was appointed to the role of Secretary General in July 2014.

Before hearing from the witness, 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 to 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 do so, 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. 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. For those sitting in the Gallery, these documents will be displayed on the screens to your left and right. Members of the public and journalists are reminded that these documents are confidential and should not publish any of the documents so displayed. The witness has been directed to attend this meeting of the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis. You have been furnished with booklets of core documents. These are before the committee, will be relied upon in questioning and form part of the evidence of the inquiry.

So, with that now said, if I can now call on the clerk to administer the oath to Mr. Moran.