David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to go back to the issue of claims. I understand that there has to be a strategy, so the question then is: is the strategy working? Certainly, up to now, the strategy has not been working because we have delay after delay. The board is essentially saying that this is exactly the tactic of the contractor to try to drag things out and to try to force the board and the Government's hand on claims. I go back to what I said earlier. There are a number of options. There is the option, and we spoke about this before, around trying to get agreement on some sort of settlement on the claims. As I pointed out earlier, at some point that will be adjudicated upon. I, or Mr. Gunning, does not know what way that will land and that would possibly be out of all of our hands. I ask again whether Mr. Gunning has absolutely closed off the option of trying to have some sort of mediated settlement with the contractor around claims that can put that issue to bed. Is Mr. Gunning saying that that is just not on the table, that the board is sticking to its guns, that it is not talking and that it will fight BAM on every claim and will see BAM in the High Court if that is the case? Is that the only position the board is now adopting? Is that something that is coming from Government or is that the board's and Mr. Gunning's position?