Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

This has been a wonderful morning for all of us present. I congratulate the witnesses on putting this together. I know all three of them as I have met them previously. I remember that wonderful day in Dublin Castle March with Paul O'Hara. Senator Healy Eames was one of those present with me. I got to know Ms Casey many years ago with the ability awards. I got to know Mr. Whelton at a very interesting event in Tralee for young entrepreneurs aged 15 or 16, at which he spoke.

Ms Casey raised the question of funding. I was in Estonia a few years ago and was very impressed by the funding system there, which is called self-bank, and a similar one in Britain called Zopa through which much money has been raised. This is what is called crowd funding. Has anybody experimented that here? A very large number of people put a very small amount of money - perhaps only €10 - into it. In the case of Estonia, the bank thus formed is able to give that money to the good cause. People have an ownership of it and get a feel for it. Has anybody done anything like that here? Is it successful? Can we do something to make it more successful in future?