The question of how best to deal with the issues arising from combining the functions of prudential regulation and consumer protection were dealt with comprehensively in the McDowell group report. A number of options were examined to see how best each of them would work. The group examined the issue of protecting the interests of clients of financial institutions on two levels: first, the level of the protection of the consumer interest in the context of solvency of regulated entities; and, second, the level of the individual consumer and his or her relationship with a particular financial institution. The relationship between these levels was looked at, particularly from the point of view of the obligations imposed under EU law in regard to the prohibition on disclosure of information to the relevant authorities on issues for which they have no statutory function. We know from the DIRT inquiry, for example, how important it is that we can elicit and disclose certain information.