Mr. John Dunne:

So I have some first-hand knowledge of the dealings between the executive and the committee in the preparation of the whole budgetary strategy. And that's why in my written statement I have gone to some length to describe the process because I think it's very important that the inquiry understands what the process was in determining whether the ... there were appropriate resources or not. And it's quite true that the executive would come every year with their own suggestions as to what the staff compliment should be. That would have been worked out in various meetings between the very senior management and the staff throughout the organisation. They would present that to the budget and remuneration committee. The committee would then have a discussion with the executives. Those discussions were very detailed and they were quite robust at times and I think that was quite proper and, at the end of the day, there would be an agreed position arrived at.