Ms Mary Higgins:

After some time being dependent on temporary agency staff, during which there was a high staff turnover, we have, since the second half of 2016, a directly contracted full staff team in place. These staff were carefully selected for their skills, experience and attitudes. They are professionally qualified and experienced in the areas related to their responsibilities. The work of Caranua is complex and an intensive induction programme, with ongoing skills development and opportunities for internal supervision and external support, is available for all staff.

We work hard to deliver a good service, but we do not get it right all of the time. The comments made by the Comptroller and Auditor General are completely warranted. Our systems were imperfect. We accept the recommendations made and are in the process of implementing them, as reported in our briefing document.

We faced a number of significant challenges in achieving good practice standards and controls. For very good reasons, we got started quickly and organisation processes and systems have been retrofitted over time. We are trying to balance the requirements of care and compliance. In considering how best to do this we have concluded that having a range of direct contracts with preferred suppliers, whereby Caranua will contract directly with them for specified services, is the best way forward. All financial transactions are between us and the supplier and there is no need for applicants to get quotes and obtain receipts. Since the beginning of the year, we have in place a contract with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, for example, whereby it will do the work it does in terms of energy efficiency for applicants who apply to us in this regard.

Caranua is, by definition, a limited fund. It has a sum of €110 million. When that money is gone, we will be gone. We are planning to wind down the organisation by 2019, at the latest. In the interim we will continue to deliver services to survivors and work to support other community-based and specialist services to recognise and respond effectively to the needs of survivors in order that they can be cared for beyond the life of Caranua at home and not in institutions. This will ensure a lasting benefit for the people who have used our services and, I hope, contribute to the prevention of the abuse of children in the future.

I thank members for their attention. My apologies for having caused tremendous confusion. I am sorry.