Mr. Nick Ashmore:

In terms of the future, we see the SBCI as a long-term part of the financial architecture in this country. It is a flexible and adaptable platform to deploy policy measures in different formats that are appropriate for issues as they arise. What is more, they must be structured in a way that works in the Irish market.

It is difficult to confirm a timescale at the moment. I draw the Chairman's attention to the fact that in the past hour, as this committee sat, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation released a press statement on the fact the SBCI works with her Department, the Department of Finance and other agencies to consider similar measures that would work for Brexit. One measure will work on a cashflow basis and the other will work on an investment loan support basis. They are very much development activities and no concrete details have been confirmed. A decision has been made to progress with developing those types of initiatives. They are certainly not something we will bring to the market very quickly. Typically, as we have seen with the agri-scheme, it can take up to six months to do these things. A lot of work still needs to be done on them.

We do not know the number of farmers who did not qualify for the scheme. We know that all the ones who have come through to us on the system have qualified. One query may have gone back for further information.