Mr. Brian Rowntree:

If a person sneezes in Connacht then someone in Muster knows. That is just the way it is. But what must be respected is the corporacy of that room and to make sure one is not engaging in discussions with those who can benefit from those details. There were only three or four meetings per year, maximum. We had reference to the programme of Government in Northern Ireland, the impact of available funds from Government in Northern Ireland, the impact of banking capital in Northern Ireland and the downturn in the housing and commercial property market. We had high-level strategic discussions, which were informing the direction of travel about the loan book. The majority of people on that committee were not from Northern Ireland and part of our time was spent in educating those people as well.