David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Let me add one point to what the Chairman said because it is very rare for memos and reports of these types to be published. It is good that there is robust engagement between that Department and others. Then there is the response of the Secretary General of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, which is a welcome development. The Comptroller and Auditor General had, in fact, called for that type of reporting and such issues to be published in advance of major projects being completed because the Government decides based on all of the information it has received what is the best course of action. This is the first time I have seen a letter that is so stark in its critique of a project which at that point had not been signed off on. As this is new, how do we as a committee examine it? It is a political decision that was made at Cabinet level, but at the same time fundamental questions were raised about value for money. Value for money is exactly what we consider which normally involves a look-back. Obviously, the Comptroller and Auditor General also engages in a look-back, but now that the issue is live and given that the letter was so stark and Mr. Watt was so clear in his concerns about the project, we need to look at it in a way we have not done before. We have not seen such a robust letter from a Secretary General before.