Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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There is a person from the Department on that board who, I presume, has a loyalty to the board. I have a difficulty around this. Perhaps the Comptroller and Auditor General might have a chance to look at it. I am not asking him to give a value judgment or anything in this regard but, having learned from the Pálas debacle, this is the first time the Department is putting in place a procedure in Galway, which is welcome. It is the time to do it right. Can we have any input to improve that performance level agreement?

My last point on this is that, interestingly enough, there is a role for the Comptroller and Auditor General mentioned on page 6. I will read the paragraph:

As the Department reports on all of its expenditure to the Public Accounts Committee and the Department's account is audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General, this agreement reserves the right and entitlement of the Comptroller and Auditor General to examine, query or audit the documentation of the expenditure of these funds at any time up to or after 2021.

That seems to be an open door up to and including 2021. It does not involve looking at something retrospectively. I invite Mr. McCarthy to look at that.