Speeches by Robinson.

“Good morning, Peter.”

“Is it your position then, Peter, that you accept that the characterisation of it being “toxic”, “divided” and “disrespectful” was shared with Peter May by one or two individuals, and you accept that for those directly involved, that may be how they feel, but you say that is different from it being the culture of the en…”

“Thank you, Sir Declan. Ms Clark, are you clear that the Irish are going to legislate in a way that would allow and facilitate access to ICRIR to sensitive information that has thus far not been forthcoming?”

“Are you satisfied that the changes you require are being advanced by the Northern Ireland Office? More particularly, is there something that you have asked for that is not being delivered?”

“Whose job do you think it is? Who is responsible for changing the culture and for responding positively? Is it a collective endeavour or is there somebody responsible for its implementation within ICRIR?”

“Josephine, you indicated earlier that you joined in January this year, and therefore probably just a number of weeks before the conclusion of the Peter May report. How would you characterise that work environment when you entered it?”

“Sir Declan, in this endeavour, as chief commissioner, is it your responsibility to ensure a change of culture, so that these circumstances do not arise again, or do you believe that that is an executive function?”

“Thank you, Sir Declan. Ms Clark, are you clear that the Irish are going to legislate in a way that would allow and facilitate access to ICRIR to sensitive information that has thus far not been forthcoming?”

“Can you outline your confidence in such a change being attained?”

“Sir Declan, just a slight pivot before I move on to Ms Clark: you know that the draft legislation is before Parliament, and that there are scores of Back-Bench amendments, particularly from members of this Committee, and a huge range of Government amendments set to be published. Do you think there is sufficient shared …”

“Do you have more detail than the five or six paragraphs on the last page of a 10-page document on the framework?”

“We would appreciate your writing to us. I would just indicate to you that for four months, when I was raising the issue of An Garda Síochána and the Irish Government not facilitating requests from ICRIR, all the Northern Ireland Office ever said was that it was engaged in positive discussions. The Northern Ireland Offi…”

“I think it is positive and encouraging that, as you mentioned, you were commissioned jointly by the ICRIR and the NIO—that this was not an “us and them” endeavour but something that was commissioned jointly. This is a simple question, but it gives you the opportunity to talk about your findings more productively. Perha…”

“The feedback that we have heard from families who have engaged with the commission is positive. They feel they are treated respectfully, and that they are engaged in a positive endeavour. From your long professional experience as a civil servant, and someone involved in governance and the creation of new bodies, could …”

“Okay. Sir Declan, do you accept the characterisation of it being “toxic”, “divided” and “disrespectful”?”

“Josephine, you indicated earlier that you joined in January this year, and therefore probably just a number of weeks before the conclusion of the Peter May report. How would you characterise that work environment when you entered it?”

“Sir Declan, in this endeavour, as chief commissioner, is it your responsibility to ensure a change of culture, so that these circumstances do not arise again, or do you believe that that is an executive function?”

“Can you outline your confidence in such a change being attained?”

“Good morning to you all. Peter, after that last exchange, I will direct this question to you in the first instance, because you are talking about the requirements of leadership and a leader’s role in setting culture and direction. Peter May’s review reported concerns that the leadership team and the culture in the ICRI…”

“The feedback that we have heard from families who have engaged with the commission is positive. They feel they are treated respectfully, and that they are engaged in a positive endeavour. From your long professional experience as a civil servant, and someone involved in governance and the creation of new bodies, could …”