Results 2,361-2,380 of 16,492 for speaker:Ciarán Lynch

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: And its full architecture?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: Okay. All right, thank you. And can I also ask you Mr. McCague is ... are you aware of the evidence of Mr. Beausang to the inquiry in which he states that he was ... it was his understanding that a draft press release had been authored in the Central Bank many hours earlier than the decision?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: Okay and what is your recollection of the origin of the draft press release?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: And there seems to have been a number of drafts over the course of the evening-----

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: -----I think 12, maybe, inclusive. Were you there at the first draft or did you come in during the drafting process when there was still more to be done but some done already?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: And on your first sight of that draft was that statement an all-inclusive guarantee?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: Okay, thank you. Senator MacSharry.

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: Okay, Deputy Phelan.

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: Thank you very much. With that said, I'll just invite Mr. Ó Ríordáin and Mr. McCague ... if there's anything further you'd like to add or by closing comment or anything else.

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: Mr. McCague?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: With that said, I now propose so that we actually suspend. In doing so, I'd like to thank Mr. Ó Ríordáin and Mr. McCague for their engagement and participation with the inquiry today and to formally excuse the witnesses. I propose that we come back at 3.10 p.m. to commence our next session this afternoon, just to facilitate matters in between now and then. Is that agreed?...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: I will now call the committee back into session, is that agreed? Agreed. In our public hearing this afternoon is with Mr. Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach. 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 please? Today we continue our hearings with...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: 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 a qualified...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: Once again, Mr. Ahern, thank you for being before the committee this afternoon. If I can invite you to make your opening statement to the committee, please.

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: I ... yes, I can certainly ... yes.

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: Thank you very much, Mr. Ahern, and just before I bring in the lead questioners, if I can just can deal with a couple of matters with you first. At the time of handing over to Mr. Cowen as Taoiseach, did you believe that the fundamentals of the Irish economy was sound at that time?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: And, at any time in the lead-up to that transition, were you aware of any discussions of proposals to guarantee Irish banks?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: Following your departure as Taoiseach, and in the months preceding the five months between you departing as Taoiseach and the bank guarantee put in place, did you have any discussions with individuals about concerns about the banks or matters relating to any potential guarantee?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: Okay, thank you. Mr. Ahern, can I just invite you to look at a table that I'm going to bring up? It comes back to your own testimony with regard to indicators and this shows a huge increase in public service allocations between the years 2000 and 2008, a plus 141% in total expenditure, which was precisely double the growth in GDP over the same period. So what you see there is under the...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Nexus Phase (16 Jul 2015)

Ciarán Lynch: Okay. Can I just bring another document to your attention and this, I requested, would be furnished in your own evidence book. It is in office of the Minister for Finance, top secret memorandum for Government, Economic and Budgetary Strategy for the 2004 to 2006 period, dated 19 June 2003. It will just come on the screen there now. If I can move on to page 5 of this and right at the...