Banking Inquiry to resume hearings with Brian Cowen

07/07/2015

The Oireachtas Banking Inquiry will resume its hearings with former Taoiseach and Minster for Finance
Brian Cowen tomorrow, Wednesday, 8th July.

The schedule for the meeting in Committee Room 1, Leinster House is:

Session 1: 9.30 am – 1.30am

Brian Cowen, former Taoiseach and Minister for Finance

Session 2: 2.30 pm – 6.00 pm

Brian Cowen, former Taoiseach and Minister for Finance

Chairman Ciaran Lynch TD said: “Tomorrow we will resume our hearings with former Taoiseach and Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen. At tomorrow morning’s session, we will focus on Mr Cowen’s tenure as Taoiseach, from his appointment in May 2008 until January 2009, encompassing the bank guarantee and the nationalisation of Anglo Irish Bank. In the afternoon session we will broadly focus on Mr Cowen’s tenure as Taoiseach, from January 2009 until the general election in early 2011, taking into account the bailout programme.

“Among the lines of inquiry the Committee will address with Mr Cowen in the coming meetings are: inter-departmental contact and the Memorandum of Understandings with other EU states on the issue of banking; the role of advisors in analysing the crisis, including crisis management options; the liquidity versus solvency debate; the appraisal of the conditions prior to increasing the Deposit Guarantee Scheme; the appropriateness of the bank guarantee decision; the effectiveness of reviews of banks’ loan books and capital adequacy;

“Mr Cowen will also be questioned on: the decision to nationalise Anglo in 2009 and a review of the alternatives available and/or considered; the establishment, operation and effectiveness of NAMA; the decision to recapitalise Anglo, AIB, Bank of Ireland, EBS, Permanent TSB and the alternatives available and/or considered; and the Credit Institutions Stabilisation Act and the effectiveness of the actions to merge AIB and EBS, Anglo and INBS and deposit transfers.”

Further information on the Oireachtas Banking Inquiry can be accessed on this website. Full committee proceedings will be webcast live on this website, while Oireachtas TV will broadcast proceedings from 9.30am-6pm.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.

All media enquiries in relation to the Oireachtas Banking Inquiry should be addressed to:

Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2

P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551

All general enquiries should be directed to the Committee Secretariat.

e. contactbankinquiry@oireachtas.ie
t. +353 1 618 3651

Committee Membership

Deputies

Ciarán Lynch (Chairman)
Pearse Doherty
Joe Higgins
Michael McGrath
Eoghan Murphy
Kieran O’Donnell
John Paul Phelan

Senators

Sean D Barrett
Michael D’Arcy
Marc MacSharry
Susan O’Keeffe