Ms Oonagh Buckley:

The process that has been laid out in the Hay policy for the health sector developed by the Department of Health in consultation with our Department last year is that the business cases will be made at the HSE and it will filter them through and examine them for their appropriateness according to pay policy. Following that, it will submit them to the Department of Health, which will also review them. If, after examination by the HSE and the Department of Health, it is felt it is appropriate to seek the sanction of the Department of Finance, they would come to my team for sanction and we will examine the cases being made. Therefore, there is a triple layer of review. To put it this way, it would be inappropriate for me or somebody from my Department to sit on the HSE level, because we will have to examine the cases that make it through the double filter before they get to us and come to a conclusion as to whether we agree with the continuation of the payment.