Mr. Adrian Kane:

I will defer to one of my colleagues on that because, at the end of the day, they were employer decisions. I will ask my colleague, Mr. Fennessy, who works for an independent jobs club, to explain why that decision was made.

On the question of reform, it is important to note that our principal request is that this process be halted. If it is not halted, we will be left in a very difficult position. I am sure the Department will tell committee members that it is in a tendering process and cannot have formal consultation with us and community-based organisations because it may disadvantage private parties who are interested in the tender. We are caught in a bind. Whatever discussion we have, if the playing field is left unaltered, will be very limited. That is what members will hear from Department officials when they appear before the committee. I do not believe the timelines for a new tender for the new year can be met, so why not roll over for a long period? That would allow us to have a deeper engagement than we have had to date. I will ask Mr. King to respond on RFT 2.