Mr. Hugh Kane:

Whether one works in the HSE, the Dáil or as a milkman, we all have bias to deal with. I take the role of independent chair very seriously and I want to ensure bias is not in the room, as much as possible, and everybody's voice is heard and contributions are valued. No matter what group of people I bring to the room, we all have a bias. As chair, my role is to be aware of potential bias and if somebody makes a point that I see as coming from a position of bias, I must challenge it. There are many very strong and talented individuals in our group. It will be open and challenging. We will not have stuff going through on the nod and there will be much dialogue, discussion, disagreement and arguing of points. As independent chair, we will evidence our independence and thought process in such a way.

The purpose of the work today and over the summer is to test some of the ideas in the process. Just because somebody works or does not work in the HSE should not lead to the person being branded as not being an independent thinker. As chair I can say I have a fantastic group of colleagues who work really hard and go the extra mile. There are certainly enough people in the group to ensure that if there is a bit of bias, it will be sought out.