Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First of all we want to know about that independent reviewer. Will this individual, whoever he or she is, have the statutory powers to get to the nub of the issue? If one takes a case to the High Court, powers of compellability, evidence discovery etc. can be utilised. In the first instance anyone who is responsible needs to be brought to court, but in the second instance the Department must carry out a review with strong powers.

One of the aspects of this case that caused some concern was that the project management firm KSN Project Management, KSNPM, was originally involved in quite a number of the projects as a project manager for the Department. It was then involved in advising the Department over recent weeks. Has it raised any concerns for the Minister that KSNPM was involved? Maybe they are excellent people. They probably are. However, the firm was there at the start and it is still advising the Department. It is giving some people the perception of a possible conflict of interest. Did this cause any concern on the part of the Minister?

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