Mr. John Coyle:

There was a question in the High Court about the EU consumer directive. As part of the consideration of an application for repossession the court should undertake an assessment of the fairness, if one likes, of the arrangement with the borrower in the context of the EU directive. As I understand it - I may be wrong - the issue was raised in a case. A comment was made, but it was subsequently to be part of a further hearing in the High Court, if my recollection serves me right. As far as I am aware, that has not yet taken place, but I may be wrong. The issue concerned the proficiency of county registrars to adjudicate on repossessions. As the chief executive said, the county registrar can only grant a repossession order with consent or by agreement.