Ms Julie O'Neill:

I approached leaving the job as Secretary General in a particular way. I did not set down on paper specific positions or posts that I wanted to take on. However, I did take a blank page and write down on it four or five areas in which I wanted to be active and I had an open mind on how I would be active in them. One area was sustainable energy. Another was aviation and transport and there were also wider areas, such as tourism and the food sector. Banking was not one of them but sometimes things happen which one does not expect.

My interest came strongly from that time. There was also the opportunity to see how challenging the debate is when trying to juggle very important but conflicting policy objectives with our energy targets and climate change and carbon reduction targets. An example is Ireland's positioning of itself in a leading role in the agricultural sector. The Origin Green approach adopted by Bord Bia is promoting Ireland as a green and sustainable country delivering a wonderful food supply to other parts of the world. Policy making is a messy business. It is never easy. I have great sympathy for any Government, of any time, as it tries to juggle all the priorities. I felt this is a particular area on which I could become involved and make a difference, which is a difference not just for this generation but for future generations as well.