Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of attending an Oireachtas committee meeting will know that there's a certain amount of security checking to go through to gain access to Leinster House.
Journalists, for instance, must arrange media accreditation in advance, then penetrate the outer layer of security that is the visitor reception area (aka the glass box) on Kildare Street, before loitering shiftily at an enquiry desk until their day-pass is handed over. But these measures pale into insignificance when compared with the steps being taken to ensure that the Nexus phase of the Oireachtas banking inquiry – which begins this week – is secure.
Due to the confidential nature of some of the information that will be supplied to the inquiry during the Nexus phase, security cameras have been installed at the inquiry support centre. There will also be a dedicated “Oireachtas usher presence”, security sweeps by An Garda Síochana, full security clearance for all visitors to the office, management of electronic data usage, and a “robust data management protocol” for accessing and reviewing documents.
“This high level of security reflects the sensitive material that is required by the committee to carry out its duties,” committee chairman Ciarán Lynch said in a statement last month.
The Nexus hearings will see the committee engaging with institutions and individuals that had roles relating to the crisis, and will focus on three broad issues: banking systems and practices; regulatory and supervisory systems and practices; and crisis management and policy responses. It will also examine how these three elements interacted with each other.
Kicking the show off this week will be Nama chairman Frank Daly and chief executive Brendan McDonagh, who will appear before the committee on Wednesday. The hearings will run from Wednesday until the middle of September, with a total of 64 public hearings planned, and at least 50 witness – from bankers to politicians – expected to be called.
Members of the public can catch the action live, as public hearings are being web-streamed lived on the dedicated Oireachtas banking inquiry website (https://inquiries.oireachtas.ie/banking/hearings/). Proceedings can also be watched on the move, using the Houses of the Oireachtas smartphone app.