Mr. Robert Watt:

We share Deputy Durkan's concern and the objective is to try to close and settle these cases and move on. I absolutely agree with Deputy Durkan that it is not satisfactory that they remain there. That was the motivation, particularly from 2017, when service updates were carried out in an attempt to find out what the latest position was and to try to settle based on the updated position on people's satisfaction or otherwise with the service they were receiving. That was the motivation and it is regrettable that motivation has been twisted in a way to suggest something untoward was being done by officials, when they were trying to close cases which have gone on for too long and in which it was in the interest of all parties that they be closed.