Public And Administrative Law Update: 2015 Review

2015 has proved an extremely significant year in public and regulatory law, which included a flurry of statutory inquiries and investigations, including the high-profile parliamentary Banking Inquiry, and the long-awaited introduction of regulation and reform in the areas of lobbying and legal services-provision.

Banking Inquiry

The Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis (the "Banking Inquiry") was established in November 2014 as the first inquiry of its kind under new parliamentary inquiry legislation. It took centre stage in 2015, broadcasting its proceedings, and gaining extensive media coverage in Ireland and abroad.

With an extensive remit to investigate the political, economic and social factors contributing to Ireland's systemic banking crisis, the Committee heard testimony from a vast array of witnesses. These included politicians, bankers, journalists, experts, auditors and regulators, in a long series of public hearings.