Mr. John Moran:

We get a lot of inquiries from people as to whether they can participate in investing in Ireland. Some of the inquiries come to the Department directly and are passed on, if necessary, to the relevant banks and institutions. I got an inquiry by phone on the morning in question from a person I had never spoken to before. He asked specifically to speak to me but before I talked to him he sent in an offer by e-mail that he wanted to have passed on to the bank. I sent back an e-mail that afternoon, which is the only communication, in effect, between us. That e-mail essentially said that I was passing it on to two colleagues of mine in the Department who were responsible for the relationship with IBRC, one of whom identified quickly that this was a commercial matter for the bank to decide on.