The banking inquiry is to ask the gardaí to investigate the alleged leaking of a witness statement.

The committee met in private and decided to refer the issue to An Garda Síochána.

In a statement, a spokesman said: “In the interests of meeting its obligations, the inquiry publishes witness statements on its website as they are presented by a witness.

“It is still unclear how information from a witness statement which was recently published in the media came to be in the public domain ahead of a scheduled public hearing.”

The issue surrounds the alleged leaking of the statement of former Department of Finance official Kevin Cardiff. Extracts from the statement were published in the Sunday Business Post and The Irish Times.

The committee has also agreed to refer these issues including the possession of the confidential documentation by a number of media outlets to An Garda Síochána.

Earlier, the Government gave approval to lift Cabinet confidentiality to allow a former Attorney General give evidence to the banking inquiry.

Former Attorney General Paul Gallagher can now detail what advice he gave to the Government on the night of the guarantee.

Mr Gallagher was bound by Cabinet confidentiality, which normally can’t be revealed for 30 years after the event.

He will not be allowed to bring documents or written advice before the committee.

But Mr Gallagher will be able to give oral evidence on what he told former Taoiseach Brian Cowen and former minister for finance Brian Lenihan.

A waiver was sought at Cabinet today which was later granted.