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Northern Rock

I was talking about the impact on taxpayers of the Government loan of some £30 billion. That equates to a loan from every taxpayer in the country of £820. Again, that is only an assumption, which we can make because the Bank of England publishes its balance sheet. We have not had explicit information from the Treasury on the terms of the loan or the amount of money that it expects to loan—either up until now or in the future. People have a right to know the extended terms of the loan. I ask the Minister to state explicitly the security. Is it based on the fixed or floating assets? If she can give a clearer answer than she did earlier, I shall be grateful. What can she do to ensure that people are reassured that the Government will seek full repayment of the loan as soon as possible and that a clear time frame will be set out? That information has been far from forthcoming and needs to be provided. Ultimately, if taxpayers are providing this money, they have a right to know that information. Of course, it has been a tough time for shareholders, too. Many small shareholders benefited by becoming shareholders when Northern Rock demutualised in 1997, as has been mentioned, and they own about 25 per cent. of Northern Rock's shares. As always, there is a risk in trading stocks and shares. Financially, it is more—[Interruption.]