Mr. Martin Burbridge:

The board of Scouting Ireland fully accepted the recommendations made by Mr. Elliott and we are really pleased that he has decided to continue to work with us on an ongoing basis as we need his expertise and support. We are working to implement quite a number of his recommendations, a number of which relate to revisiting and revising policies to strengthen them and develop a proper code of discipline, etc. We have also endeavoured to start the recruitment process. There has been talk about funding being frozen, etc. That inhibits recruitment somewhat because people will worry about applying for a job in an organisation that might not have the funding to pay its current staff in eight weeks' time or thereabouts. Yes, the uncertainty about funding is an inhibiting factor.

Scouting Ireland is determined to do what is necessary to get this matter right. We are not just aiming to have the right standards; we want to exceed the standards set in legislation in both the North and the South. We are determined to provide resources, but in doing so we need the support of the Government, our members, their parents and the wider public. We have a job to do to build on this and are thankful that we have Mr. Elliott's support in doing so. That is the nub of the matter. We got some stuff wrong and did not change and improve as soon as we should have. We did not know better at the time, but we got in an expert and now we know better. We are going to make the changes required.