Mr. Peter Brazel:

We had some knowledge that the HSE and the Department were writing to bodies about the issue, but we had no knowledge of the payments that arose in the audit and no correspondence on them. On the other issue raised, public servants are defined in the financial emergency measures legislation. There was confirmation earlier that the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 was applied to the staff in question. It would not have been applied if they were not public servants under the Act.