The boss of Barclays has refused to tell MPs if he will accept a bonus payment this year.
Bob Diamond appeared before the Treasury Committee on 11 January 2011 as part of a hearing into competition in the banking sector following the financial crisis.
However much of the questioning revolved around Mr Diamond's reported £8m bonus that is expected to be offered to him.
Labour's John Mann challenged him to forego his bonus if offered.
Mr Diamond said that he had waived a bonus last year, and that any decision on this year would be taken after consulting with his family. He said that Barclays had "no intention of paying more in bonuses than is necessary".
Mr Diamond also told MPs that he believed that banks should be allowed to fail and not be bailed out by taxpayers.
He said he was grateful for the support given to the banking sector from central banks and governments, but stressed that Barclays had not taken any direct support from the taxpayer.
On questioning from Conservative MP David Ruffley , Mr Diamond said his bank was committed to lending more to help the economic recovery in the UK, but he would not give any figures when pressed.
"In 2009, we lent £35bn more [than the previous year] and in 2010 we lent £35bn more again in the first nine months alone," he said.
"Lending is what we do. We like to lend."
But he said the bank needed to lend responsibly, with proper risk management in place. Lending too freely had contributed to the financial crisis, he added.
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