Professor Brian Norton:

The Deputy is correct that the supplier had been contracted for 15 years. They had been in existence since 1920. The procurement was national procurement undertaken by the education procurement service of the University of Limerick the year before. Financial bona fides were checked in that process. There were a number of checks but the company ceased trading. We now review all contracts. We have a very strict process for which I am personally responsible. We undertake all the evaluation of the financial background of all suppliers at an institutional level without relying on any external factors in order to hopefully avoid a repeat of this situation. However, it was an exceptional circumstance and a tragic one in terms of our resources.