Mr. Seamus Boland:

Like us, some of the members have visited Germany. When we did so, we found that in certain regions, particularly near Stuttgart, the impact and influence of Sparkassen, the name of local public banks, is huge. In effect, the local Sparkasse governs the economic development of an area. The Sparkasse model helps created thousands of jobs, both in terms of the people who work for the bank as well as indirectly. That is what we are talking about. It should be remembered that during the recession, the Sparkasse model was the banking service or structure which did not fail. Had it not been in place, Germany would have very different problems now. This is the model that is in place and we should develop our own Irish version. The people in the room have the skills and capabilities to do so. That is what we are asking for. I go back to the question on who is stopping it. While Irish Rural Link has met with a great deal of support across the political system, there is a hard core - perhaps in the Department of Finance and among the members of the banking fraternity - which sees this as a threat and does not want to move it forward. We need bravery and leadership at this stage.