Mr. Niall Byrne:

The data we sent set out the position with case processing times during the course of 2020 and 2021. We have two types of dispute resolution, that is, two processes. We have mediation. The average time for resolution there is just under nine weeks as of the end of 2021. During 2020 that had gone up to slightly more than nine weeks, so it has been fairly stable. It rose dramatically at the start of 2021, but some of these figures are a result of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our other strand of dispute resolution is adjudication. It is a more formal process than mediation. Coming in to 2020, the average turnaround time was around 20 weeks. It rose somewhat at the start of 2021, but by the end of that year we were back down to around 16 weeks. I think our best endeavours around timeframes have it down to around 12 weeks. We regard that as highly desirable and achievable. At the moment we are ahead of that or above that.