I will now deal with the post of Registrar of Credit Unions. At present, the Registrar of Friendly Societies has responsibility, among other things, for the general regulation and financial supervision of credit unions. The McDowell group recognised the valuable contribution and the unique role of credit unions in Irish society, about which I fully agree. The annual report of the Registrar of Friendly Societies for 2000 – the latest available – shows that there were some 438 credit unions in Ireland as at 31 December 2000.