Mr. Mark Griffin:

It was a greenfield operation. While a range of governance structures were put in place, there was an element of "suck it and see" to determine what worked best for managing the system. The fundamental concern for ECAS and for us was to ensure that adequate processes were in place to oversee the key performance indicators, KPIs. We received monthly reports from BT on compliance with the KPIs. Where there were issues with the operation of the service, we could demand data at short notice on a daily basis to see what was happening. While BT might not have strictly complied with the governance arrangements set out in the invitation to tender, we were satisfied, by and large, that the structures were at least working. The Deputy is right that missing basic elements like taking minutes is not acceptable. As to a commitment to produce an annual report, while the monthly arrangements worked, it would have been preferable to have had an annual report produced. The liaison committee and the emergency services group are being chaired at the appropriate level in the Department and minutes are being produced. Detailed terms of reference for the emergency services group will be signed off at the meeting in May and we will produce the first annual report in May.