Mr. Rob Wright:

I thank the Deputy for the question, but the answer is "No." I met all of the key players in the social partnership process. I thought it was a very useful process and will be in the future. However, a process like that has to know the limits and ambitions on spending pressures, and it did not. It was used to leverage public sector pay in a way that was overdone.

An honest read of the report would find that we did not pick favourites. We examined anything that was an issue. We had a number of observations which were critical of the Department in the areas in which they should have been. There are some great people who should have been better energised, but they understand there are some things they should do better. The Government and Minister of the day should perhaps have taken some advice and that would have helped the landing.

On the processes in play, I had the temerity to talk about programmes for Government, which is probably the most sensitive issue to raise in this room. In the future there will have to be some limits on them. In the array of observations, I have not singled out an objective view of the social partnership process, but I mentioned that the process has to be managed in a fiscally responsible way. It is an important process and had a significant impact when it started out. It has to return to the process of building consensus on the way forward. That is all I am saying, and if I have said it in a way that troubles people, I am sorry for that.