Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

Chairman, I refer back to a report that I published in 2013, namely, "Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2012". We looked at contract management arrangements at that stage and I think the Deputy has already referred to an issue that I raised. What we found at the time was that the CIT staff member acting as the contract manager for the two CIT projects had been involved with the project since the procurement stage and had been involved in managing the contracts since the two projects became operational. The examination found that the contract manager had detailed knowledge of the project arrangements. A matter that I raised in conclusion was that while CIT also had significant skills and experience in respect of the management of PPP contracts, there was a risk of over-reliance on a single individual as much of CIT's capacity in this area was vested in the contract manager for the two CIT projects. The risk that was there would appear to have crystallised when the individual retired. The college was left without a capacity and a knowledge base. Based on what I have already reported, I do not think it is fair to characterise the individual as not having relevant skills or experience. That would be my suggestion.