Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am making the point that we have got to look at what the circular actually says. My understanding is that the circular refers to what should happen if one is not satisfied that one's board is dealing with it through the appropriate structures. I cannot speak for individual members of the board but, clearly, they were satisfied that the board was dealing with these issues. The board's minutes seem to suggest to me that the board was dealing with these issues, and then the board did escalate these issues into the Department of Health in August and, ultimately, they arrived at Government in December. There is a suggestion, and not just on the part of the Deputy, that there may have been a board member sitting on a board saying: "Hmmm, something is going on here and no one is, kind of, doing anything about it." I do not think that is a fair reflection of what the board was doing. It looks to me that this was a board trying to grapple with a problem and then, when it became aware of the seriousness of that, escalating it through the structures. Let us see what the PwC report says in terms of how that actually worked. That is my view of the matter today.