Dr. Orlaigh Quinn:

I thank the Deputy and assure him that under the schemes he has mentioned, it is not that the businesses have failed the application but that they are still in the process. The figures we are giving the committee represent the companies that have been successful. The others are still being assessed. The success rates are quite high.

On the Deputy’s suggestion about Revenue, it does not assess loans or have capacity for loans. It was not an option for us. This is not its business model.

Therefore, for our part, it was very much about working with the banks, which have the capacity to lend and to assess the viability of companies, which was also part of it. The Department works very closely with the banks to make sure applications are assessed as they come through. Our meetings with the banks are ongoing and the Ministers, Deputies Humphreys and Donohoe, also meet them regularly. It is an area of work we continue to progress.