Ms Rosemary Keogh:

The Deputy has asked at least five questions. I will do my best to address all of them. If we leave anything out, please revert to me.

The staff at Cuisle have done a fantastic job and have been fabulous ambassadors for the IWA for the past 22 years. It has been extremely difficult for the IWA to reach a position where we are making people redundant. It is not something that we do lightly or without great thought. Regarding the level of notice given to the staff, we have operated within the legislation. Since the centre would have been due to close at the end of the first week in December anyway - it normally closes between then and some time in February - we did not believe that it would be fair to tell people on 1 November that they would be losing their jobs next February and then leave them sitting in limbo until then. To reference some of Senator Dolan's points, it is never easy to make anyone redundant. I have been on the receiving end of redundancy twice - it is devastating. We accept that. If there is an easier or better way to do it, we will reflect on it for the future.

I will ask Mr. Cunningham to provide clarification on the Deputy's meetings with him. The Deputy contacted me within 24 hours of the notice of Cuisle's closure. I asked Mr. Cunningham, as national director of services for Cuisle and a number of other IWA services, to contact the Deputy on my behalf and give him the background to and reasons for the closure, which I understand he did. The Deputy sent two further emails to me requesting that certain actions be taken, including keeping the centre open for a further 12 months while solutions could be found. As CEO, that is not within my remit or my gift to do, but I will relate those comments to the board.

Regarding our willingness to postpone the decision, it is not my decision to make. As CEO of the IWA, my colleagues in management and I work at the behest of the board. It is my job to execute the decisions of the board, and that is what I am doing. If anyone brings a proposal back to me, I will bring it to the board. I have not received any such proposal at this point.