Ms Marguerite Sayers:

It is very much as the Deputy outlined. When Bright Energy exited the market customers were given a level of information. We cannot really speak with any great expertise on the banking system but we can speak to what happened in the energy system. Customers of Bright Energy were informed both by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities, CRU, and by Bright Energy itself that they could select a new supplier in advance of the exit but those customers who still remained on the date that Bright Energy surrendered its licence were automatically transferred to Electric Ireland. As part of the communications, they were told that they could stay with Electric Ireland, they had a home with us and would be looked after and that they did not have to do anything. Approximately one month after they had transferred to Electric Ireland, if they so wished, they could then proactively look for a different supplier if they wanted to do so. That was the arrangement under the supplier of last resort mechanism.

Mr. Ó Raghallaigh has attended the discussions with the banks until now. There have been discussions around an automated system. We made a suggestion and a company we are aware of also made a suggestion. It was explored but found not to be workable, from the banks' point of view.

We do not have any more to contribute on that issue, unfortunately, except in terms of drawing the parallel with our own experience in the energy sector. An energy account is reasonably simple. The customer transacts with one company but as we can see, with a bank account, money is coming in and going out all of the time. Maybe it is more complex but it is not our area of expertise.