Mr. Michael McCarthy:

I thank Senator Cummins. I am delighted to hear the experience Waterford has had following on from the report. That is where the crux of the issue may lie on occasion. One can see this as effectively a mirror on not just the executive but also the reserve function. People may say they will take a report on board. It is not as easy as that in the majority of cases. Nonetheless, the idea is to make what works in a particular area more widespread.

I understand the point on reports being timely because things move so quickly that we could be dealing with something today and be up against the clock. We need to bear in mind that a lot of the data we collect comes from data co-ordinators across 31 local authorities. We depend on financial statements and various State agencies. Some of the information, for example, is not statutorily required.