The banking inquiry is now formally up and running following a Seanad vote today.
It has been granted full powers of compellability and the power to publish findings of fact.
Public hearings will begin next month in Leinster House, but the support team is now working in offices in the Department of Agriculture.
Inquiry Chairman Ciarán Lynch said it is now recruiting 12 banking experts.
Separately, the Governor of the Central Bank Patrick Honohan has said he does not expect his European Central Bank colleagues would appear before the inquiry.
Speaking before the joint committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr Honohan said he would be happy to tell his ECB colleagues to appear before the inquiry, but his view was that it would be unlikely to have any effect.
When asked if he could put down a motion at the ECB for its members to attend, Mr Honohan said he could but he was just one vote of 24.
The governor said he would give a full account of what he knew about the bank crisis, which is a lot.
