Ms Nóirín O'Sullivan:

I certainly did not intend to paint a pretty picture because the position is far from a pretty picture. We have put together a plan which is courageous, ambitious and requires gritty determination to deliver and achieve. What I did say was that we have achieved a considerable amount over the past two years, but it is a journey of work that has to be done. Cultural change in any organisation is not easy. It means changing and challenging attitudes and behaviours in a robust way on occasion and in a way that sometimes people may not necessarily like. However, the job of leadership is to make sure that decisions are taken and actioned, and that there is a direction in which the organisation, and in our case the service, is going. That is what we are doing. That was the frame in terms of my opening address. We are on a journey of cultural renewal, change, modernisation and professionalism, which will make the organisation a better service for the communities we serve. In terms of painting a pretty picture, it is not all pretty in the garden yet, nor did we suggest that was the case. We have a lot of work to do. We have some work done, but I can tell the Deputy it has taken some determination to get even to where we are now. The number of reforms that have been implemented in the past two and a half years have not taken place without a good deal of gritty determination.