Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will ask it to provide us with a redacted version of the memorandum too, if it is concerned about individuals being identified. That is agreed.

No. 2002 is from Professor Donnelly, Waterford Institute of Technology. It relates to the same issue. He states that the institute is seeking clarification in response to the committee's request. That was an earlier acknowledgement of the email. We received the more comprehensive reply that we have just discussed in the week following that earlier email. That is noted.

Nos. 2003 and 2007 are from the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board regarding the committee's request for written consent from Mazars before the relevant document or any part of it is disclosed. Ms Evans advises that permission was requested and is still awaited. Mazars stated that the document is confidential and we cannot publish it until their consent is given. We are waiting for that.

We note that is the position and we will publish that reply.

The next item is No. 2011 from Ms Carmel Whelan, Kildare-Wicklow ETB, providing information requested by the committee about the valuation report for a building in Arklow. This is an extensive document and the valuation runs to several pages. The final paragraph of the letter includes a note from the valuer stating that, in accordance with standard practice, neither the whole or part of this report, or any reference thereto, may be included in any document or circular without prior consent. We have to ask Kildare-Wicklow ETB to get the consent of the valuer before we can publish it. It should be standard practice that whenever this committee writes to an organisation seeking a report from a consultant, we should include in our first letter a request of the organisation to get consent from the consultant. That would be better than us getting the letter and spending another couple of weeks writing back to ask the organisation to seek consent. On foot of these types of issues arising, we need to put that request for consent in our original request.

In this case, we have the valuation report but we cannot publish it because we do not have the consent of the valuer. We have seen it and can discuss it but cannot publish it without consent.