Professor Don Barry:

There have been improvements in processes in the finance department. I will take the opportunity of saying quite clearly to the committee that John Field was appointed as director of finance in August 2009 and has introduced a major review of the processes in place in the finance part of the organisation. He has introduced and enhanced practically every single process we have. To give some level of assurance to the committee, there was a full Revenue audit of the university in 2013 which looked at all our pay and expenses. No serious issues were raised in the course of that audit. Every time there is an audit there are recommendations for how things can be done a little bit better.

We welcome those recommendations from audit and any suggestion that we are so perfectly brilliant that there should be no possibility of improving the processes within the university is a wish that no private or public sector organisation could fulfil. We are not going to sit here and be pilloried as if we were useless until someone came along and told us what to do. We have always operated to the highest possible standards and we have accepted recommendations from external audits and reports and are determined to implement them.