Mr. Pat Farrell:

The business-plan template is in the members' pack. Significant work was done on it with all the relevant accountancy bodies. A sustainable business that submits a credit application using the template stands an excellent chance of obtaining credit because it captures all the relevant dimensions and covers all the information needed. To date, there has been no standard template. An application of 20 pages might have been no better than an application with one page because it might not have contained answers to the right questions. The document we have produced outlines the questions one needs to answer and the information that needs to be supplied. Members may find it useful because they encounter people in their constituency work who are contemplating making an application or who may be in the middle of making one. They will also know people in the accountancy profession. The profession has agreed to use the template more often than not as the standard template for submitting applications.