Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Fine. I thank Mr. Neilan for his answers but I am still at sixes and sevens as to why, when his engineer told him to put in it and his solicitor drafted it up as a requirement of the contract, he signed a contract that did not include it. I will move on because I do not think we can advance this matter any further at present.

The next issue I wish to deal with is procurement, most particularly the Comptroller and Auditor General's comments in his audit certificate for 2011. The issue is also referred to by Mr. Neilan in his statement on financial control in the board's annual report. There seems to have been a number of instances where goods and services had not been tendered for and for which quotations had not been sought from a number of suppliers. I know, from reading the annual report, that there were cases where, in the board's view, due to the nature of the industry, some suppliers had a unique knowledge. A review was commenced and I ask Mr. Neilan to give the committee some statistics on the number of instances of non-compliance with normal procurement practice there were found in 2011.