Ms Aviné McNally:

Our statistics show that approximately one in four small firms is having difficulty accessing the working capital it is looking for. A great deal of work has been done and progress has been made, but there are some outstanding issues. We are more frequently coming across concerns regarding the reasons that requests for lending have been refused and the timeframe within which that information is being supplied. There is certainly a sense that the banking system does not have a great understanding of the difficulties being experienced by the sector that is applying for this credit. We are beginning to see evidence that the terms and conditions attached to loan proposals may be deterring companies from drawing down loans.