Ms Derville Rowland:

I apologise if I had a reaction to the statement regarding non-disclosure. On a personal level, I set up enforcement in the Central Bank of Ireland and took the very first enforcement case. As a matter of absolute public interest we, in a post-crisis environment, knew we were charged with a very precious public duty to act in the public interest for the Irish people and to hold wrongdoing to account.

The only way that can be done is through the legal frameworks which require legally compliant investigations, operated to due diligence, that successfully hold firms and individuals to account. We are only permitted to put information into the public domain through two routes in the administrative sanctions procedure. The first is through the long, slow slog of an inquiry that could perhaps double the length of time it would take to bring the information into the public domain. The second is through a challenging and demanding approach, whereby one resolves the case on the absolutely correct basis, does not let anybody off scot free, makes sure people are held to account and puts as much information as possible into the public domain to shine a light on what happened.

In fact, by insisting on transparent detailed statements like this, one makes the information accessible, insofar as financial services can ever be accessible to people. One seeks to make what is going on understood by the public at large. Such action shines a light. We do that because although the fines on firms are punitive, I, like the Deputy, can recognise that they can be seen as something to be paid. Putting this detailed information into the public domain may not answer all of the Deputy's concerns and needs, which I can appreciate, but it puts the public representatives, public and media in possession of the full facts of the case. It is not a short statement or inaccessible; it is clear and complete. It is the most that we can do within the legal permissions.

In terms of putting people's names in the public domain, those people are entitled to the protections of the law and the Central Bank is obliged to obey that. We do not shy away from holding individuals or firms to account where it is possible to do so.

We do not shy away from holding individuals or firms to account where it is possible to do so. I make that as a general comment. We have published disqualification information and prohibition notices. We are committed to doing it because we understand the trust we have been given to act in the public good and we seek to do this.