Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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My apologies; I did not see it.

The presentation of information has been covered by a number of colleagues. On the Comptroller and Auditor General's point on the turnover of personnel, he is in the unique position of being fully aware that such turnover is currently fairly standard in the public sector because of the rising economy. He correctly noted the expertise in his office and I have seen similar trends in many similar specialised departments recently. The bottom line is the remuneration available in the public sector versus that in the private sector and the level of expertise in the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. That is regrettable.

While I do not wish to put words in his mouth, I am sure the Comptroller and Auditor General will freely admit that the use of agency staff is a sticking plaster in terms of what he is trying to achieve in his office. While it may be useful for particular items, it is not necessarily the ideal scenario for the head of an office, such as Mr. McCarthy, in the long term. I do not know whether this issue will be the subject of a debate next year as we wade through the work programme.

I thank the Comptroller and Auditor General for his presentation. I ask him to forgive me as I did not have a chance to read it because it was sent after 7 o'clock last night.