Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

I certainly struggle to understand what the commercial sensitivity is in all of these cases. I am examining the cost escalation on that particular project and will defer any definitive comment on it.

One matter arises from the letter. Mr. Gunning states that the latest baseline programme submission was 29 September 2023. It was evaluated by the employer's representative, ER, and determined as not being compliant. It does not state how long it took for that assessment to be arrived at and, therefore, how long the board had been waiting for a further proposal from the contractor. It seems to be conflicting that on every occasion they are here, representatives of the board are not in a position to give information, which is a difficulty for the committee and certainly a difficulty for me.