Mr. Nicholas Jermyn:

At the outset, I must say that we are a private limited company. We have private assets that we own. However, there was investment in St. Vincent's University Hospital and we opened a new clinical services building in 2009, the building of which began in 2000. Prior to that, there was no instrument to allow us to secure the State's interests. In 2009 or 2010, the HSE introduced an instrument that allowed us to protect the State's interest. We had entered into those agreements prior to that date. I remind Deputy Harris that the grant for the new 100 bed ward block was enacted and then we retrospectively sat down with the HSE and signed a grant agreement. It was stated last November, regarding that grant agreement, that "the HSE has advised that the State's interest in St. Vincent's Hospital is secure and that the State does not have a financial interest or exposure-----