Mr. Derek Rafferty:

I can only repeat what happened in our January meeting of that group, which Mayo homeowners were at, as were homeowners from all four designated counties. At that meeting, it was said that the money needed was essentially for professional fees and there was a general agreement in the group that it is not a good idea to pay contractors or builders up front. That was generally agreed. I know what happened subsequently. I accept there is now a view that this was misinterpreted. I have had discussions with homeowner groups about this point. That is what was stated at the time. On that basis, we worked on arriving at what we believe is something that can deliver additional funding early. As I said earlier, the way the legislation is drafted at the moment would not allow up-front payments to happen. Money cannot be paid until the actual expenditure has been incurred and the work has been done.