Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. I have not met the new CEO. We have been in correspondence but we have not formally met. I wish him well. I realise he is accounting for things that happened before his time. I acknowledge the huge demographic pressures in both Kildare and Wicklow. A very sizeable staff is employed by the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board, KWETB, and the education value of what it does is not in question. In fact some exemplary work is being done and I acknowledge that.

The witnesses are essentially answering for the previous board and previous chairpersons. Would Mr. Merrick accept that when any inkling of these issues came to light, there was a circling of the wagons with respect to how they were handled? Mr. Merrick was there at the time.