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MYSTERY SURROUNDS THE leaking of former civil servant Kevin Cardiff’s statement to the banking inquiry to several media outlets ahead of his appearance before the committee this week.
The matter is likely to be raised at tomorrow’s weekly private meeting of the Oireachtas committee set up to examine the events leading up to and during the collapse of the Irish banking system.
Cardiff was in charge of the Department of Finance unit overseeing banks during the September 2008 crisis. He was present in Government Buildings on the night of the guarantee.
He later became secretary general of the department, before securing a role at the European Court of Auditors.
Details of his submission to the inquiry, which is some 380 pages, were published in yesterday’s Sunday Business Post and today’s Irish Times.
Under the Inquiries Act it is an offence to disclose documents related to the inquiry with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to €500,000 or both.
Inquiry sources said today the leaking of Cardiff’s statement is being taken very seriously.
Some members are understood to have been in contact with inquiry chairman Ciarán Lynch yesterday about the leak. Concerns have been raised that it could impact on future witness cooperation with the committee.
A spokesperson for the inquiry said today: “We can’t comment on evidence that is still to be heard. The matter will be discussed at tomorrow’s meeting and the committee will decide it’s course then.”
Speaking at Leinster House earlier today, Fianna Fáil’s Seán Fleming said the matter is “very serious”.
This could undermine the inquiry. I would be worried if there were attempt if there are moves by people – God knows who they may be – to undermine the banking inquiry.
However, also speaking today the Jobs Minister Richard Bruton appeared unperturbed by the development.
“I think it shows how valuable the banking inquiry is in that we wouldn’t see testimony like this if it weren’t for the banking inquiry,” he said.
The 11 TDs and Senators on the Oireacthas committee will meet in private session in Leinster House at 3.30pm tomorrow.
Cardiff is due before a public hearing of the committee on Thursday morning at 9.30am with his successor John Moran and the current secretary general Derek Moran also appearing that day.
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It’s all well and good until Stevie starts humping the microwave during the night
@DarkHorse: That’s a silly comment . This is very serious but the article doesn’t tell us how to access , so its a useless article.
@rory conway: I mean not really, as they haven’t been on sale yet. They’re flying to the States later this month, where a care home will be trialing the beta version.
Can he make a good cup of tae though? Or boil an egg? Or put a few sods of turf on the fire?
As long as it’s used to complement human interaction and not replace it, it’s a good idea. Having spent summers at college working as a home help, i am aware that i was the only person many elderly people spoke to during the day. My being there for a chat was at times more important than my ability to light the fire
@Anne Marie Devlin:
Very good point.
May I be the first to welcome our new robot overlords.
Seriously though, cool bit of tech.
Japan, the US and other places are vastly more developed in the technologies required to implement practical autonomous robotic supports.
It’s a good idea but only if Trinity College collaborates with the best abroad.
As matters now stand, one small country does not have the embedded knowledge base, the centre of expertise, the resources and the funding required to make a massive project of this nature anything more than a prototype.
@Fiona deFreyne: Do you just put everything down? Ireland has produced leading technologies in the past beating those with more resources and been at it longer. They could easily develop key components for the future of all robot via software or hardware.
@Kal Ipers: it is a matter of scale, accumulated expertise, level of previous investment in R &D, historically, accumulated IPR, the legacy knowledge and expertise not to have to reinvent any wheels and the large numbers of highly quality researchers required to develop cutting edge technologies in areas off deep machine learning. The scale of investment required for success is truly huge.
We have talent here but it is fair to say that we have had a brain flow to the US and to Cambridge in the UK in relevant disciplines. There are many reasons for this.
Trinity can’t play a valuable role as an adjunct to leading research elsewhere.
Honda has already achieved much techological success in Japan with robots dedicated to health care for the elderly. I don’t know if there can be technology sharing and cooperation arrangements.
Knowing the scale of the problem is a first step. I would not select Ireland a a base for developing new generation rockets for outer space exploration or other areas of resource intensive projects. Robotics and autonomous intelligence devices is one of the mist resource intensive areas that could be selected.
@Fiona deFreyne: None of that has anything to do with your constant putting down everything. Again I reject your view and that is mostly because it is always negative.
@Fiona deFreyne: so you don’t know how to do it huh?
They should really get in touch with the Japanese on this subject. They have been pouring money on this subject for decades and a trip to them could shave years off the project.
Also, the arms are way too short and lack any function. Infact, the whole robot cannot do more than a smartphone. I feel like someone is laughing right now.
Ye it would be if the likes of rich politicians didn’t want to force the elderly out of their home
@WilhelminaMCallaghan: When was that ever suggested or done?
Sounds like a great idea. I thought they’d need to be a lot stronger though. And have a hoist, or arms, to help them in and out in the bathroom? But they’d never get bored listening to people, I suppose, there’s that.
All the wiley aul fellas will be figuring out how to bypass him so they can slip off to the pub and bookies
Can it make a good cup of tae though? Boil an egg or throw a few sods of turf on the fire?
I assume he meant Kryten from Red Dwarf not Croydon from Deep Space Nine lol
Fck that, sophia the robot destroys stevie
If you want to watch a creepy interview with a robot check this out.. http://uk.businessinsider.com/interview-with-sophia-ai-robot-hanson-said-it-would-destroy-humans-2017-11
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: True, it doesn’t have much to say for itself. It wouldn’t pass the Turing test; you can tell it’s a bot. But there’s always the ELIZA effect. Sure the robot carers are meant primarily for people with no one to listen to them all day. I think there’s a huge market for them considering that retired people are living so much longer.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: scary stuff! I’d say cults will purchase loads of these and put them out there in homes and such like to brainwash everyone!!
Daughter got a Furbie one year for Christmas thing turned seriously nasty and using bad language and had to be re-set… A Furbie!!! Yup dangerous road ahead…
@Lydia McLoughlin: Maybe they’ll persuade a few people that bus fares aren’t tuppence any more. Mind you, the bad language can’t have been that bad if you understood it.
Petril?
have your say