Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is a life or death issue and that is why we are exercised about it. I do not know whether Mr. Mullen answered the question about whether a risk assessment was carried out on the Dublin station before the equipment was installed above a kitchen. I believe it has been evacuated a few times. The assistant secretary felt the criticism of senior management in the first draft of the Fisher Associates report was unfounded. It stated, "With better management, many people [not one individual] considered that it could provide more out put with the same resources". That sounds like value for money. Many people said that to Fisher Associates but it did not appear in the draft that was forwarded to the Minister. The Department did not allow it. Officials did not say, "That seems to be a criticism of many stakeholders so we'll leave it in there". That is not the only time people said something critical of senior management. The report states, "During the internal consultation, it is very clear that many experienced people within the organisation below senior management level felt that the Irish Coast Guard could be better run". This again did not appear in the report that was forwarded to the Minister. It was edited out. Pages of criticism by people internally and externally did not go to the Minister and that is disturbing.

Mr. Mullen referred to a suite of observations. Fisher Associates made a suite of observations in their first draft but they never said, "I believe you should go for this". In the first draft, did they ever say they had one preference over another? Will Mr. Reynolds clarify that?