Dr. Michael Somers:

Let me answer some of these issues. As Mr. Spring said, I was approached by the then Minister for Finance, the late Mr. Lenihan. I decided to resign from the National Treasury Management Agency approximately two years before my term of office expired. He asked me about various appointments to the public service. At that stage I just wanted to make a clean break of things. I had worked for 49 years in the public service. He asked me if I would join the board of AIB and I said no to that request. He then rang me in November, which I remember very well because I had come back from a dinner in the Dutch embassy and I got a call at 11.45 p.m. asking me to join the board of AIB. He asked me for my immediate response.