Ms Ann Horan:

To echo Senator Crown, in the last ten years - and certainly in the last five years that I have been involved with it - the HPRA has been a very impressive organisation. We have a board of experts and a very strong management committee, and I am absolutely delighted with Dr. Nolan's appointment. She has a curriculum vitae that is second to none and she has wonderful experience. We have 300 highly dedicated staff members, many of whom are doctors or pharmacists. It is a very impressive organisation and I would not take up this role if it were not, because, as the committee knows, I am not an expert in health. I am an expert chairperson, hopefully. I am taking on an organisation I can stand over that has a very strong reputation.

The DePuy hip replacements and the PIP implants are medical devices, as I mentioned before, and thus are not something that we license in this country but something that we monitor. I did not mean to downgrade the risks involved in any way. A number of years after the DePuy hip replacement was authorised there was an indication that after five years there was some leakage of metal and metal products and therefore there were recalls. In a lot of cases, recalls are precautionary, as opposed to being an indication that there are any great issues.

What I bring is leadership of the board, while ensuring all the times that we have the best staff and scientific knowledge, that we really play our role in Europe and on the international scene, that we remain up to date and that no issues arise, or, where they do, that they are dealt with very quickly and effectively and there are no attempts to cover up or other such activity. I bring integrity and leadership. I bring with me a wonderful organisation.