Ciarán Lynch - Chairman
The former adult literacy organiser was first elected to the Dáil in 2007, when he took a seat from the Green Party's Dan Boyle. The Labour TD is a brother-in-law of Kathleen Lynch, Minister of State with responsibility for Primary and Social Care. Mr Lynch lives in Douglas in the Cork South-Central constituency and has roots in Ballyphehane. He studied education management and social studies at Waterford Institute of Technology and University College Cork respectively before taking up employment as an adult literacy organiser with Cork VEC. In 2004, he was elected to Cork City Council.
Pearse Doherty
Sinn Féin’s spokesman on finance was first elected to the Dáil at a byelection in November 2010, which was forced on then Fianna Fáil/Green government by a High Court case he took. He represents Donegal South-West. A founding member of Ógra Shinn Féin, he served as the party’s first Senator in 2007.
Marc Mac Sharry
A son of former EU commissioner and minister Ray Mac Sharry, the Fianna Fáil Senator worked as a customer adviser and sales executive in Irish Permanent Building Society before entering politics. He was chief executive of Sligo Chamber of Commerce for five years and runs Marc Mac Sharry Properties, Sligo.
Michael D’Arcy
Elected to the Dáil in 2007, the Fine Gael Wexford representative became a Senator after losing his seat in 2011. A son of former TD and senator Michael D’Arcy, he is from Gorey. Mr D’Arcy holds a diploma in law from the University of London. He is also a farmer.
Sean D Barrett
An economics lecturer in Trinity College Dublin since 1977, the Cork-born Senator lives in Maynooth, Co Kildare. He has been one of the University of Dublin Senators since 2011. He obtained a masters degree at McMaster University in Canada before returning to UCD to gain his PhD in economics.
John Paul Phelan
First elected to the Dáil in 2011, the Carlow-Kilkenny TD is a business graduate and qualified barrister. From a farming background, he lives in Ferrybank in south Kilkenny. He went into local politics in 1999 and served two terms in the Seanad. He contested the 2009 European elections unsuccessfully.
Kieran O’Donnell
The Fine Gael TD for Limerick is a former chartered accountant. During the failed heave against party leader Enda Kenny, he was appointed to replace Richard Bruton as finance spokesman but defected to the rebels. From Castletroy, he is a nephew of former minister and MEP Tom O'Donnell.
Eoghan Murphy
The Fine Gael TD for Dublin South East was educated at UCD, where he studied English and philosophy, and holds an MA in international relations from King’s College, London. He recently accused his own party of abusing the independence of the Dáil and failing to implement fundamental political reform.
Michael McGrath
Fianna Fáil's finance spokesman has a degree in commerce from UCC and qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG in Cork city. He shares his Cork constituency with Mr Lynch, as well as his own party leader Micheál Martin. He was first elected to the Dáil in 2007.
Joe Higgins
The veteran Socialist Party TD replaced Independent Stephen Donnelly, who announced he was quitting the inquiry in June. The former secondary school teacher became an MEP in 2009 but stepped down when re-elected to the Dáil in 2011. He was jailed briefly for his part in refuse charges protests in 2003.
Susan O’Keefe
From Collooney in Co Sligo, Ms O'Keeffe has been a Senator since 2011. Her reporting on the beef industry for ITV programme World in Action in 1991 led to the Hamilton Tribunal of Inquiry and she was the only one prosecuted as a result, for refusing to reveal sources.
