Professor Brian MacCraith:

Yes, the IRG specifically recommended that the Secretary General of the Department of Defence be a member of the EOB and, on foot of that, the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence appointed her to the body, like the rest of us. In terms of good governance, the Senator raised the issue of independence. At every meeting, the first item on the agenda is declarations of interest, so if any matter arises whereby there may be a conflict for any member, I as Chair will ask that person, as I have done with the Secretary General, to leave the meeting for the duration of our discussions on that matter. That is just good practice and it has happened three times, in the 20 meetings we have had, for portions of the meeting on specific matters where there may be a real or perceived conflict of interest. We value very much our independence as an external advisory body. It is critical for the success of our work and we guard it carefully.