Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Our interaction with Caranua has been one of the more bizarre and unpleasant experiences of this committee. It was very surprising. Its approach to this committee leaves a lot to be desired. The tone of the interaction at the committee hearing and in Caranua's written correspondence is unlike anything we have received in my time on this committee. It is important for me to put that on the record. I do not believe that I or any other member of this committee intended to engage with Caranua in a confrontational way. We were all simply putting what I thought were standard questions - in some instances, on behalf of survivors of institutional abuse. The responses from Caranua were over the top.

I am particularly uncomfortable with the assertion that has now been made in a number of items of correspondence and was repeated on several occasions at the hearing. I will quote directly from the most recent correspondence from the CEO, Rachel Downes, in which she states:

I suggested that members of the Committee could discuss matters that were presenting as a concern after the hearing. I have received no request from any member to discuss matters subsequent to my attendance before the Committee.

Repeatedly during the hearing and in other correspondence, this same assertion has been made that members could have a private chat with the CEO to discuss matters. This shows a lack of appreciation for the role of the Committee of Public Accounts. Our role is not to satisfy our own desire for information. Our role is to put questions on behalf of the Irish taxpayer and Irish citizens. I would have thought that previous experience would have shown that private conversations in car parks are not the way in which witnesses or bodies should be interacting with this committee. I wanted to put all of that on the record.

It is also important that we correspond with the Department of Education to get a detailed framework as to how the issues pertaining to Caranua will move and be addressed because the explanation outlined to us that a new board will be put in place without staff and without a budget to all intents and purposes yet some executive responsibility will lie within the Department is a recipe for disaster. It is, therefore, very important that we get clarification on that as speedily as possible. My proposal is that we write to the Secretary General of the Department seeking that clarification, the framework for how the work of Caranua will proceed, a timeframe for the legislation to formally wind down Caranua and a subsequent framework for how outstanding issues relating to institutional abuse and claims may be dealt with in the future.