Mr. Robert Watt:

We strive in all cases, when it comes to the formal schemes under review here, to ensure that their terms are met. The Comptroller and Auditor General concluded in his report that in the case he looked at we were broadly compliant. There are some issues there which we will be debating this afternoon and which are highlighted in the report. We share those concerns and we have responded to them by making changes in terms of the code of conduct and guidance and we will work on a circular on discretionary payments, which will hopefully address some of the concerns. We are not complacent or blasé about it. The money, in the overall scheme of things, is small. We know that but that is not to in any way suggest it is not important. Every euro is important. We take this very seriously. In the short period since the report was published we have responded to it. We have been energetic in terms of trying to learn from this and ensure that the rules of the formal scheme are properly adhered to and, in the context of discretionary payments, that any payments made are proportionate, that the relevant bodies are informed and that there is appropriate disclosure. We are very conscious that we need to improve here. We have set out a range of steps which we hope will improve the situation and that in the future we will look at this and it will be improved.