On 16 December 2002 the Minister set out in detail the amendments he proposed to make to the Bill, their impact and the reasons he considered he had no choice but to propose them. A delegation from the league held a subsequent meeting with officers from the Department of Finance to examine possible wordings to ensure the ethos, characteristics and uniqueness of credit unions could be safeguarded in the Bill. The officers met the league on a number of occasions in January and a draft text was agreed. The league confirmed it was satisfied and the Bill was sent to the parliamentary counsel for drafting. It is now before the House.