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

As we have a quorum, the Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis is now in public session and can I ask members and those in the public Gallery to please ensure that their mobile devices are switched off. Today we have a number of sessions and this morning's, in session No. 1, is a public hearing with Mr. David Begg, former general secretary of ICTU and non-executive director of the Central Bank and CBFSAI, and Mr. John Dunne, director general IBEC and non-executive director general bank of ... sorry, non-executive director general bank and IFSRA. In doing so, I would like to welcome everybody to the public hearing of the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis today. At this morning's hearing, our witnesses are Mr. David Begg, former general secretary of ICTU and non-executive director of the Central Bank, and Mr. John Dunne, former director general of IBEC and non-executive director, Central Bank and IFSRA.

This session will focus on our witnesses' respective roles with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the ... and IBEC, and as non-executive directors of the Central Bank and Financial Regulator. Mr. David Begg was general secretary, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, from 2001 to 2015. He was also a non-executive director of the Central Bank from 1995 to 2010. Mr. John Dunne was director general of IBEC from 1993 to 2000, and chairman of the IDA from 2000 to 2010. He was also a non-executive director of the Central Bank and IFSRA from 2003 to 2010. Mr. Begg and Mr. Dunne, you're both welcome before the committee this morning.

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 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. The utmost caution should be taken not to prejudice those proceedings.

In addition, there are particular obligations of professional secrecy on officers of the Central Bank in respect of confidential information they've come across in the course of their duties. This stems from European and Irish law, including section 33AK of the Central Bank Act 1942. The banking inquiry also has obligations of professional secrecy in terms of some of the information which has been provided to it by the Central Bank. These obligations have been taken account by the committee and will affect the questions asked and the answers which can be lawfully given in today's proceedings. In particular, it will mean that some information will be dealt with in a summary or aggregate basis only, such that individual institutions will not be identifiable.

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, 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 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 said, if I can now ask the clerk to administer the oath to both Mr. Begg and Mr. Dunne. Thank you.