Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes. Obviously, its job is to protect the public purse so it was doing its job in that regard. At Cabinet sub-committee level, we agreed to a limit of €100 million with which everyone was satisfied, including Shannon. It is not unusual for major borrowings to have to get consent from both the parent Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Even something as minor as setting up a subsidiary of a State-owned enterprise or appointments to the board of a State-owned enterprise must be run by both the line Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It is pretty standard in that regard. Perhaps it is unnecessary but the view is that line Departments can sometimes be captured by their companies and agencies and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is there to have a second view and to make sure the general public interest is looked after as well.