Mr. John Swords:

I will start by speaking about whether we have traction and visibility. In the past two years, as we grew into a centralised procurement function, our requests for procurement support have increased threefold. That is a fair indication that awareness of the obligations of our budget holders is taking hold.

The second aspect is the 40/02 report. This year has seen a large increase. The Deputy might say it is bad, but I believe it is a good indication that there is awareness on the ground that people should state with what they have not been compliant. One might say it is bad, but it can be turned into a positive in the sense that it allows me to implement it in the procurement plan as we move forward. With the assistance of and collaboration with the Office of Government Procurement we will have more coverage than ever, which will make a significant difference.