Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If I repeat a question that has already been asked, I ask the Vice Chairman to let me know and I will not continue. I apologise - I was covering for my party leader in the Chamber so I missed the earlier part of the meeting. I welcome all the witnesses and wish Mr. Roebben well on his tenure as CEO of KBC Ireland. He is very welcome to this country, and I hope the bank's commitment to the Irish market will continue and deepen. I will start with that question because in recent years, as we emerged out of the banking crisis and the wider economic crisis, all international banks re-examined their presence in countries such as Ireland and we saw the departure of a number of international banks from this market. This was unfortunate because it reduced competition. I therefore ask Mr. Roebben about KBC's commitment to the Irish market. I wish to give him an opportunity to reaffirm it.