Clerk to the Committee:

In a nutshell, when we examined the Chapter on the National Gallery, it included a payment of €40,000 in removal expenses to the gallery's director. Following the meeting, we sought papers from the three bodies concerned. The key points are that, in August, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform approved €15,000 as an appropriate amount for removal expenses. In November, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht wrote to the gallery agreeing to sanction €20,000. By the time the National Gallery wrote to the individual concerned with the offer, the amount had increased to €40,000. There is a conflict in the papers. I suggest that we refer this note to the three bodies and ask them for a comment for next week. After that, we can include the matter in a report.