How to Attend an Inquiry Hearing held in Public

The Central Bank of Ireland is issuing this information notice to assist members of the public and media who may wish to attend public hearings in an Administrative Sanctions Procedure Inquiry (an ASP Inquiry). This does not apply to hearings that take place in private.

The Central Bank does not have visitor parking facilities but there are a number of public car park facilities nearby. The Central Bank is a non-smoking campus. 

The co-operation and patience of all attendees is necessary for the smooth running of any hearing.

Types of Hearing

Generally, there are two types of hearings in ASP Inquiries – Inquiry Management Meetings and Inquiry Hearings. Inquiry Management Meetings are held to assist in the timely and efficient running of an ASP Inquiry and deal with procedural issues. Inquiry Hearings may include the making of oral legal argument and in some cases, witnesses may give evidence.

When a hearing is due to take place in public, a notice will be published on the Central Bank's website advising of the time, date and location of the hearing. Members of the public and media can attend these hearings either in person or remotely.

Registration

Prior registration by members of the public and media who wish to attend a public hearing is compulsory. Please contact [email protected] to register your attendance and indicate whether you would like to attend the hearing in person or remotely. When registering your attendance, please also indicate whether you are a member of the public or media.

There are limited places available for the media and public to attend in person and therefore seats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Physical Hearings

Physical hearings will be held in the Whitaker Room on the ground floor of the Mayor Street building at the Central Bank of Ireland (the Hearing Venue). Access to the Hearing Venue is via the reception of the Mayor Street building off Fish Lane via New Wapping Street.

Media accreditation must be produced by members of the media when attending in person at the Hearing Venue.  Members of the public will be required to produce photographic Government issued ID, such as a passport, driver's licence or public services card to access the Hearing Venue. Members of the public and media who have not pre-registered with [email protected] will be unable to gain access to the Hearing Venue.

Attending a Physical Hearing

Members of the public and media will be located in a public gallery or media room adjacent to the hearing room at the Hearing Venue.

Anyone who attends a public hearing in person will be required to comply with Central Bank security procedures, to ensure compliance with Health and Safety and Fire Safety requirements. Visitors will be required to pass through an x-ray security scanner or present bags for searching by security staff before entering the Hearing Venue. Visitors are asked to bring the minimum amount of baggage in order to reduce delays entering the Hearing Venue. The relevant procedures apply when entering the Hearing Venue and while attending a hearing. Please note that CCTV is in operation throughout the Hearing Venue.

Central Bank staff will be available at the Hearing Venue to assist with any queries about administrative arrangements for hearings.

The following housekeeping rules apply when attending a physical hearing:

  1. The Inquiry Members are responsible for conducting the hearing.
  2. Members of the public and media are requested to conduct themselves as quietly as possible within the Hearing Venue where the hearing is being held.
  3. Please be seated in the allocated area at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of the hearing in order to avoid disturbance to the hearing. Please allow additional time for Central Bank security procedures.
  4. Attendees are requested to remain silent while the hearing is underway, and mobile telephones and other electronic devices must be silenced. The taking of photographs or recording by any means is strictly prohibited within the hearing room and anywhere else within the Hearing Venue.
  5. If it is necessary to enter or leave while the hearing is underway, please do so as quietly as possible.
  6. The Inquiry Members may direct a private session during a public hearing. When this happens, the public and media will be asked to leave unless otherwise advised.
  7. From time to time, it may be necessary for the Inquiry Members to rise to consider an issue. An announcement will be made that this is happening and, where appropriate, the time at which the hearing will restart.
  8. During lunch breaks the hearing room/public seating areas must be vacated by all attendees and will be re-opened 15 minutes in advance of the afternoon session. Other than for lunch, attendees should remain seated during any short breaks in the hearing.
  9. Attendees may be required to leave the hearing room and/or the Hearing Venue at any time and for any reason including:
    • Disruption of the hearing
    • Taking photographs/recording
    • Failing to heed instructions from Central Bank staff or security personnel.
  10. At no time should attendees approach the Inquiry Members, Inquiry participants or Inquiry witnesses.

Remote Hearings

Some public hearings may take place on a fully remote basis. This means that the hearing will take place by video conference call.

Attending a Remote Hearing

A remote hearing is to be treated in the same manner as a physical hearing however, the following housekeeping rules apply when attending remotely:

  1. To ensure that you are in a position to join the remote hearing in good time, it is recommended that you request login details from [email protected] later than 30 minutes in advance of the scheduled hearing.
  2. Following registration, members of the public and media will be invited to join a remote hearing by way of an email from [email protected] login details for the video conference call. These login details should not be shared with any third party without the written consent of the Inquiry Members.
  3. Please login to the remote hearing at least 15 minutes in advance of the scheduled start time.
  4. As a member of the public or media, your microphone will be automatically muted and your video feed will remain off for the duration of the hearing.
  5. In the event that the Inquiry Members need to sit in private session or take a short break, the online stream will be cut for members of the public and media. A notice will be placed on the online stream to indicate that the remote Inquiry hearing has moved into private session.
  6. The taking of photographs or recording of a remote hearing by any means is strictly prohibited.

Press and Media

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