According to the Comptroller and Auditor General's report, the talks were held in virtual secrecy. They were attended by the Minister and one colleague. The Office of the Attorney General was not represented at meetings with the congregations and had no contact with those negotiating on behalf of the State from October 2001 to April 2002, a critical period for the discussions and deal making. The Office of the Attorney General was represented until October 2001 but when talks ran into difficulty, legal advice appears to have been suspended. Like so much else in the Laffoy debacle, the review of the commission and the deal with the religious congregations, it is beyond belief that this deal, worth so much money and indemnifying so many, could come to pass without full legal advice being sought at every step.