Mr. Adrian Tennant:

I will answer that, if it is okay. I would just like to round off the questions on communication and I think that will answer that question for the Deputy. I know my colleague, Dr. Lawlor, wants to come in on that.

On our relationship with Tusla, I will start with our response when this letter went public. People are not used to or do not consider it normal for Scouting Ireland representatives to be on something like television or radio shows and come out as robustly as we did. However, it is very important for everybody to understand that we are not in conflict with Tusla. That is a very important message here. In the radio and television interviews that Mr. Elliot and I did on the day, we were coming from a position where we just did not understand where this was coming from. We had to respond publicly because it was put in the public domain. I am sure everybody in the room and at home would understand that parents in a community in Kerry, Donegal or Athlone whose children were going to an activity that weekend, to scouts that night or to beavers the following morning, were wondering whether Scouting Ireland was on top of this. We were very shocked and concerned by the detail in the letter. We would have preferred not to have hit the airwaves. In the interviews Mr. Elliot and I did, we made it clear that we are not in conflict with Tusla. We just wanted to understand what was informing the content of its letter. That is very important.

Scouting Ireland is not afraid of criticism. We have a system in scouting called "plan, do, review". With everything from our beaver lodges all the way up to us as adults, we plan, do and review everything. We are quite honest with each other and we have consulted other people. An organisation like Scouting Ireland cannot be described of shy or afraid of criticism given that we brought in someone like Ian Elliott to do specific work for us and to take on projects and specific jobs. Mr. Elliot would not leave any stone unturned as he has proved time and again. He does not have to prove or justify that in the scouting context. It was well established before that.

There have been things in the years since Mr. Elliot came in that have not been easy listening and not stuff that the organisation as a whole wanted to hear. However, we did hear it and we acted on it. We adopted Mr. Elliot's recommendations and teachings on that. Because we have come through such a process in recent years and been under the spotlight, in the past year in particular, when this letter came out we had to respond. We had to reassure the parents of children involved in scouting. We had to reassure our volunteers who will be taking charge of other people's children in the dens, halls, events and all the rest of it. Our volunteers deserve that. The young people and their parents deserve that.

When we did that, it was not in conflict but one where we were trying to understand. I will be like a broken record today. I appreciate I have said it again and again. We are not in conflict with Tusla, but we will be robust in ensuring that what we do is right for Scouting Ireland and that we are fully compliant with what is required of us.