Ms Mary Dunnion:

Our opening statement pertains particularly to the statutory investigation. We had a presence in most Tusla service areas in the context of that investigation. It took more than a year to carry out. We met staff individually and in groups, along with focus groups and meeting the executive and board members. It was a comprehensive review of all processes. Of critical importance in the statutory investigation is the fact that although the Minister, Deputy Zappone, identified a potential or actual risk in the management of a specific lens of children, the same pathway pertained for all child protection referrals. In assessing the efficacy of that pathway, we used Tusla's standard operating procedures. To reinforce and validate our process, our investigation team included members from other jurisdictions who had executive roles in child protection and welfare. It was a very robust process which considered a large number of case files. It benchmarked its findings against the business rules that Tusla set for itself, which meant that the conclusions were evidence-based and it was obvious how they were reached. I hope that reassures the Deputy in the context of how we are comfortable making the------