Madam Chair, I would like to thank all hon members for supporting the Bill that we are dealing with. I must say that I am sorry that I may not have heard some of the concerns that were raised by Dr Conroy, because I was battling with the hearing aid, as he was speaking Afrikaans. Therefore, I may have missed some of the concerns that he has raised.
On the question of the role of the Minister of Finance, raised by Mr Durr, I would imagine that if we hold the Minister of Finance accountable, we have to give some role to the Ministry in terms of determining the area over which he has responsibility. He also has some role in determining who are the people who play a role in the institutions that carry out work on behalf of the Minister of Finance. I am sure that, in the environment that exists in South Africa today, we should not particularly be harbouring worries about people appointed by a Minister not being able to differ with the views of the Minister. Therefore, I believe that this is really a matter that enables the streamlining of all the work that is involved in putting together all the structures of the Financial Services Board.
I take the points Mr Durr raised concerning the question of an ombudsman for the financial services sector, and I hope it is something over which we will, perhaps, someday come back to in the House, because at the moment I am not certain what sort of work is being done in that regard. However, one will hope that, in due course, we can, perhaps, come back to the House and give an indication of what direction we are moving in.
On the question of microlenders, of which I am very sorry that he could not finish his point, that is really a matter of critical concern. In a sense, it is an anomaly of the South African society. It is a combination of many things. It is a reflection of our history and of our past, where access to financial services was a problem. But it is also a reflection of the current economic situation in our country. We are undergoing major changes in the economy, and these are exerting various pressures on people's incomes, and so on. But, indeed, it is a serious issue. The conduct of a ... [Interjections.]