Mr. Seán O'Laoire:

Without trying to be remotely defensive about the issues which are rightly central to this hearing - I and the staff endorse everything said by the director about regret but equally our best understanding of how this came to arise - I hope that part of the legacy of this board will, if not fully squeaky clean, be in full health by autumn this year. That has been increasingly recognised by the Comptroller and Auditor General's comments. Getting back to the deliberation of boards, I am very proud to represent a board comprising people who essentially give their services pro bono. I am also proud to say our accumulated expenses over the past three years of my tenure are approximately €500.

That being said, I represent a board that would be concerned about how we convey these issues to the public. Perhaps there is an "acculturation" of boards. Typically, a board might be appointed in June and its first meeting may not be until autumn or the following year. Understandably, when there was a tsunami of issues facing the board, as the director pointed out, it takes some time to see where are the fundamentals. I would have been aware of the inadequacy of the infrastructure for reporting at a very early stage. I am also aware that this has taken time. In fairness, in any contact I have had with Mr. Boland, the HEA or the Department of Education and Skills in general, there has been an understanding that there are issues. My view is that I hoped and trusted that matters would be corrected. I would like to think that today this committee will have heard of our endeavours, albeit belated. I cannot account for boards or directors which preceded us.

In the context of the correct emphasis on the importance of the college - we sometimes forget that - I probably have enough knowledge of the history of the college. It once shared premises here in Leinster House. That was not too long ago. It is a dynamic place, working within many constraints, both physically and fiscally. The spirit and commitment of the board and executive should be recorded and it has been my privilege to serve on it. I am committed to saying that we will leave the meeting, at the Chairman's discretion, with the foundations for remediating all the structural problems which, unfortunately, we have had to put our hands up and admit to today.