Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Spillane for that. Let me make it clear that I am not questioning her integrity as a public servant nor that of any other individual. I want her to be clear that is not where this line of questioning is going. However, this audit took some time to prepare. I have no doubt great trouble and care was taken to validate data and information and to present it in this format. A finding of it is, as I have stated, that where there were breaches in terms of salary scales, verbal - therefore, not on files - Department of Health approval had been sought and obtained and the audit very faithfully records that there is no record of that in the Department. I am making this point for the following reason. When one views this in the round, we know that certainly in 2008 and 2009, there is an awareness within the system of these breaches. We then have toing and froing and different levels of correspondence. We are now in 2013 going into 2014 and the matter remains unresolved. That suggests two things to me. First, whether real or imagined, there was and perhaps still is - we will address this - an ambiguity in the mind of some of these organisations in regard to pay ceilings and adherence to them. Second, it also points up for me - I think it is confirmed in the audit - that there was a level of informal discussion, contact and sanction on these matters.

That is what I see when I look at this in the round.