Mr. Mark Fielding:

We are quite happy to go with the CSO and the Central Bank. The Central Bank is ideally placed and I am of the view that it should have responsibility in this regard. It is, however, difficult to count the number of informal applications made. If I approach my branch manager at the local GAA club or contact him or her by phone in order to seek a loan and if he or she says "No, don't come near me for the moment", in my view that is a refusal. This reflects the reality for SMEs at present. I will be shot for saying so but I have sympathy for the banks because they find it difficult to count instances such as those to which I refer as refusals. However, they are refusals and they reflect the reality that exists.