Mr. Paul Maloney:

I cannot emphasise enough that I would spend ten hours here if the committee members wanted me to because for four years I have been denied any access to the Brennan reports that were being produced - that is, I, the chairman or the previous executive. That is not governance. What the Committee of Public Accounts has shown to the media here is that the way to do it - I congratulate the Comptroller and Auditor General - is to obtain an independent report to get the facts - we might disagree on some of them, but it is independent - and then to bring everybody in and question them and have them be accountable. This is the right way, in regard to the democratic functions of this State, to do it and I congratulate the committee on that.

I only ask for the following. Ms Brennan has said she will not appear before the committee before everybody else appears. Here is a person who has had every chance to write every report and I am here before the committee. Therefore, I would like to come back here when Ms Brennan appears so that I am here to correct the record, to ensure that my evidence is heard and to ensure that no further misinformation is given.

Overall, I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General and I thank the committee members for their patience today. I think their questioning has been very fair and rightly rigorous. I thank the Vice Chairman.