Mr. Tony O'Brien:

I have not yet done that. I have arranged a series of meetings with chairpersons of committees, including one with Deputy McGuinness later this week. One of the objectives of this is to obtain feedback from senior parliamentarians in terms of their perception of the added value of that service and to take this into account in our discussions of how we might improve the service. I am conscious, having previously represented the departmental side, that there may be issues arising as parliamentary questions which could have been dealt with more expeditiously by way of direct contact. I am also aware, from my own engagement with the Joint Committee on Health and Children, of the general sense that at times the responsiveness is not what it could be. That is the reason I am undertaking the one-to-one meetings mentioned, following which I will engage with the staff involved.