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

Okay, so we will now commence with session 2, public hearing discussion with Mr. Kevin Cardiff, former Secretary General, Department of Finance. The Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis is now resuming in public session, and can I ask members and those in the public Gallery to ensure that their mobile devices are switched off.

Today we continue our hearings with the senior officials from the Department of Finance who had key roles during the crisis period. At our next session this morning we will hear again from Mr. Kevin Cardiff, former Secretary General of the Department of Finance. This second session will focus upon developments during Mr. Cardiff's tenure from January 2009 until he left the Department.

Mr. Kevin Cardiff was Secretary General at the Department of Finance from 2010 to 2012. He joined the Department in 1984 and had a number of roles in the Department including responsibility for the taxation and financial services division and tax policy. In March 2012 he was nominated as Ireland's representative to the European Court of Auditors in Luxembourg for a six-year period. Mr. Cardiff, you are welcome back before the inquiry today.

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 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 do so, you are entitled thereafter only to 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 they should not publish any of the documents so displayed.

The witness has been directed to attend the 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 and will be relied upon in questioning and form part of the evidence of the inquiry. So if I can now ask the Clerk to administer the affirmation to Mr. Cardiff.