Mr. Tony Cunningham:

It is not accurate to say staff were not aware of the decision. I attended three general staff meetings and my purpose for being there was to update the staff team on the issues and on the efforts that were being made to secure the funding. It is not my job to inform staff that a place might be closing or that we might not get funding. It damages the business and it damages morale. We tried to be as upbeat as we could in our efforts all through that period. I recall three staff meetings where we looked at that. Staff were aware of the bigger issue. I went as far as saying that if we did not get the money, I did not know what would happen, and that it was not good but we were working away on the issues. That is the information we gave and I have said this at other meetings.

It has been asked why this is happening at this point in time. I was at the meeting and it was devastating. There is no right time, be it 1 January or 1 December. It was one of the toughest things I was ever involved in. With regard to the time of the year, it has come after we were sure there was no funding coming. At this time of year, Cuisle usually closes for most of December, January and into February. A month's notice was agreed to pay people for the additional notice period as required. There is no right time and it has been devastating for the staff. It was the end of the road. As Ms Keogh said, the board has the legal responsibility for everybody's safety in the building. We cannot guarantee that now. This is why the issue was discussed at so many board meetings in the past two years, including our efforts to secure the funding.

I also refer to her point about the financial position in the organisation. Our fundraising efforts around the country were to maintain essential services, and this was covered at a meeting here some weeks ago. The association does not have the money to do these works. We do not own the building. It is leased, and the lease will be out in a few years. Accessibility has improved in the community. I am at a loss about what to say to say to the staff. I have met many of them on a one-to-one or group basis and there are no words for it.

As Ms Keogh said, the service is looking at transitioning into the community. The first place we looked at was Roscommon with regard to hotels and how that might create opportunities for the staff locally as a redeployment option. This was not possible in Roscommon because the necessary accessibility, the numbers of rooms and the interest in partnering with us was not there. We are also looking at places such as Ballinasloe, which is a commutable distance, where we looked at redeployment options for people. Originally, we were considering two hotels - one in Galway city and one in Ballinasloe - but to create more sustainable jobs for redeployment, we went for a longer, full-year effect in Ballinasloe to start with. These are the redeployment opportunities we have put out there for people, our colleagues, and the uptake on that is very low. One can always do things differently, and everyone could say that. There is no right way of doing it. I am at a loss in one way.