Mr. Felix O'Regan:

We did nothing different then from what we do today. It was far more challenging and complex. To answer the Chairman's original question, we are a representative body for the banks. We do for the banks what the IFA does for farmers and what IBEC does for industry. Referencing much of what we have been saying here, we have recognised over recent years that we can do that job best by aligning, insofar as possible, the interests of the banking sector with the interests of our stakeholders. Included in those stakeholders are the business representative groups. We have regular engagement with these groups, especially those in the SME and consumer sectors. It is not always possible to align these interests 100% but it is increasingly possible to find common interest around different issues. There is no getting away from the fact that we are primarily a representative body to promote and protect the interests of the banking sector but there is recognition - and there has been such recognition since the financial crisis - that this job can best be done by seeking to identify common interests with stakeholders and by aligning those interests wherever possible.