Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

We have always drawn attention to the fact that the departmental representative on the board was in a position where there was a documentary trail that she had progressed and made recommendations to the Department of Finance and to the Minister that this was the value of the site. I understand that to mean that the Department's sanction was based on those representations. At the same time she was aware, as were all the other members of the board, that a considerably greater sum was being discussed. That is the conflict of interest that any public servant may find themselves in.