Dr. Ambrose McLoughlin:

The Comptroller and Auditor General has done the State some service, as has the committee, in dealing with the issue. There were serious systemic failures. There is no question about that. As Secretary General of the Department of Health, I would not be happy with the type of arrangements and funding processes under discussion.

One has to look back and see what were the pressures. Clearly, there were industrial relations pressures. Partnership was the way of doing business. We have moved on a great deal and are in a different space. Certainly, as Secretary General of the Department of Health right now, I assure the committee that we will learn the lessons from this and take firm effective action to ensure there is no recurrence of the issues. There will be greater accountability and transparency within the system and we will work very closely with our colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Comptroller and Auditor General to learn the lessons and ensure they are applied.

To be quite frank, I was a bit shocked at the extent of the file and very surprised at some elements of what happened. Nevertheless, there were benefits there. One has to be balanced. It is important that we learn the lessons and that is where I would leave it.